A Little Longer
by iljasperhaleex33
Summary: My version of Breaking Dawn. Bella decides to be a human for a while longer. But will this be too dangerous? When the Cullens go to college, will someone else fall for Bella's charm? Will she be able to stay faithful to Edward? Find Out!
1. Preface

_Im baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! Hello everyone! this is my new story that i decided to write. it is my version of breaking dawn. This chapter takes place in Edward and Bella's honeymoon. _

_i hope you guys like this story as much as My Escape. If you haven't read it yet, go read it. I want a lot of reviews for this chapter so i can be motivated to write another chapter. _

_enjoy everyone, i hope u like!!! More stories on their way ;)_Preface

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"Edward, I want to go to college."

"Bella. I'm not changing my mind. I could kill you. Did you ever think of that? When you become one of us, then we can try again. And maybe we won't have to use protection next time." He looked down at me and smiled.

"Even if you don't change your mind, Edward," I said, trying to avoid his memorizing gaze, "I want to be human a little while longer. I want to go to college and be able to visit my mom and Charlie. And I bet my dad will get a kick out of Dartmouth stories."

"Bella, you're going to drive me crazy!" I smiled innocently at him. "First, you want to be a vampire so badly, you agreed to marry me right out of high school. Something you would have never done. And now you want to postpone your change and go to college?!?" He shook his head, smirking at me.

"I really want this, Edward. I want to stay human for a while longer." I used the force of my eyes on him like he does with me.

"Alright, Bella. The family has already purchased a house in New Hampshire anyway. You know, just in case. And we will have our smaller house right down the street." He seemed to be too over excited for this to be happening.

"You were planning this, weren't you? Plotting to delay my transformation and drag me off to college? I am surprised at you, Edward Anthony Cullen." I faked hurt.

"Not likely, love. More like I was hoping something like this would happen. The family was going there anyway."

We smiled at each other and I yawned big. It was already late and I was really tired. Edward rubbed my back softly and hummed me the lullaby he composed when we first met. My eyes started to droop.

"Edward?" I said groggily.

"Hmm?"

"When does the semester start? I don't want to miss my first day of college."

He chuckled. "At the end of the week, we should be returning home to finalize the plans."

"Okay," I said and quickly fell asleep. I had the weirdest dream that night.

I was standing in front of big double doors. I pushed them open to reveal Dartmouth and walked in slowly. I searched for Edward and my family, but they were no where to be found. I searched and searched but found no one familiar.

I then caught the green eyes of a boy I didn't know. He was obviously staring at me and he was sort of attractive, but I was married. I looked down to see my wedding finger, but found it no where in sight. I started to panic. I had the feeling of abandonment and started to hyperventilate.

I sat in front of a door and pulled my legs against my chest. I saw a lightly tanned hand come out towards me meeting the same eyes of the boy I saw before. He was trying to help me up, but when I refused, he sat down next to me. Then we both heard a loud crash and looked up.

That's when I saw the shadowy figures walking towards us. I stood up quickly but never moved from in front of the door. One figure knocked the strange boy out of the way, killing him. They came after me next and my arms came out in a defensive crouch outside the door. I waited for them to attack me when I heard a very strange sound.

Behind the door, I heard a baby crying. The sound sounded so familiar and my heart soared for the sound. I felt that I had some type of bond with the baby the sound was coming from. But then it dawned on me.

If I heard it, so did the Volturi.

They weren't after me anymore, but what was behind the door.

I stood in front of the door, taking up all the space but it was no use.

They pushed me out of the way and opened the door, revealing a brown-eyed boy. I shouted for them to stop when the child disappeared from view.

I woke up with a scream and buried my face into Edward's chest, letting out the sobs.


	2. Welcome Home

_Hello everyone. Just because i got only one review for this story doesn't mean I'm going to stop writting it. Please review! _

_If you haven't already please go check out my other stories, Unfortunate Love and My Escape. They're really good. _

_the next couple of chapter for this story will be a littl boring but i will make up for it as soon as the Cullen family goes to Dartmouth. Enjoy!!_

_:D_

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Welcome Home.

"C'mon, love. The boat is waiting for us." Edward stood behind me as I looked out at the ocean. I was standing in our air-conditioned room with the French doors wide open. I continued to stare out into the clear water, not answering Edward.

"Isn't it funny how the ocean works," I said finally. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and hid his face in my hair, breathing me in.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Bella." I closed my eyes as he held me closer to him.

"I mean that water isn't really blue… Although the ocean is beautiful in its own way, it only reflects something even more beautiful; the sky." I opened my eyes again to look up at the sky. The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds in sight. I felt Edward shake from silent laughter.

"You know, you're correct. It is a reflection of something beautiful. But I can't call the sky or the ocean beautiful with you standing in comparison to it." I laughed and turned around to face him. His eyes were closed, but he had a wide grin on his face.

"I thought you said the boat was waiting for us," I asked staring at him skeptically. We were returning to Forks today.

"It is," He said as he opened his eyes and grabbed my hand. "Let's go." His pools of topaz never left my eyes until we walked out of the bedroom.

We walked to the dock and, sure enough, there was a boat waiting for us. All of our luggage was waiting inside the boat and a short man was waiting outside of it. He smiled brightly at us as we approached him.

"Senhor. Estão aqui as chaves a seu barco. Eu sou certo que você teve uma estada agradável e encontra tudo em ordem?" He handed Edward a set of keys.

"Sim, obrigado. Tudo era perfeito." Edward smiled at him and pulled us towards the boat.

I had no idea what they were talking about, but I smiled at the man politely. His breath seemed to catch and Edward whipped around suddenly.

"Pare de por favor olhar minha esposa nessa maneira." He had a murderous look on his face.

"Eu sou assim pesaroso, senhor. Não acontecerá outra vez," said the man. He then looked over at me. "Meus apologies, Sra. Cullen." I nodded my head, not knowing what he said and walked away with Edward.

Edward's eyes were still tense as he boarded me on the boat, giving me a peck on the lips. He looked over at the man who was now looking down at his feet. I wonder what they were going on about. We pulled out of the dock and drove off to the mainland. It was about a 15 minute ride and then we would land on the mainland.

"Edward?" I was a little afraid to ask him this.

"Yes, Bella?" He looked at me from the corner of his eye as he continued to drive the boat.

"What were you and that man talking about?" I bit my lip as Edward laughed slightly.

"First, he gave me the keys and asked if we had a good time and if everything was in order. I thanked him, saying everything was perfect." He snickered again.

"What's so funny?" I looked at him confused.

"Well, that man's name is Gregorio. He is in charge of the cleaning staff for my mom's island. He's also a little frightened of me, but puts on a good façade. He's 40 years old, so don't be weirded out by what I'm going to tell you next…"

"Okay…" I was still confused.

"When you smiled at him, he was thinking of how hot you were. He wanted to know what your lips would feel-

"Ah! Okay!" I said, covering my ears. "I don't want to hear what he was thinking." Gross.

Edward laughed. "Okay, well, I told him not to look at you like he was because you were my wife. He immediately apologized to me and you." He laughed loudly again.

'Well, I'm glad your not the jealous type," I said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at me and the rest of the ride was silent.

We arrived at the airport 10 minutes later and walked to our first class seats. I quickly fell asleep, knowing that when I opened them, I would be in my home. Forks.

"Bella, honey. Wake up. We've landed." Edward was shaking me awake. Right on cue, the pilot came over the loud speaker and announced our arrival. I opened my eyes slowly and smiled at Edward.

"We're home," I whispered. He nodded and we walked off the plane. I was eager to see my family again, so I was practically running through the crowds to get to the baggage claim. Edward said that the family would be waiting there, and I already knew who would spot me first. I got to a hallway with three exits. In my hate, I didn't hear what baggage claim we would need to go to. I looked at Edward and he laughed.

"C, love." I nodded and grabbed his hand, walking to the baggage claim.

I entered the atrium and searched the crowd for my family. The crowd of people cleared up, revealing a clear path to my whole family. I smiled and started running, just as a short little pixie started running towards me as well.

"Bella!" She yelled opening her arms for me.

"Alice!" I yelled back and we smashed into each other. It hurt me more than it did her, but I hugged her anyway. I haven't seen my sister in so long.

"I missed you, Bella." She pulled away to look at me and I felt Edward stand next to me. "I forbid you guys to go away for that long anymore." She looked pointedly at Edward who rolled his eyes. She laughed and let me go to hug her brother. "Nice to see you, Edward."

"Nice to see you, too, Alice." They pulled apart and we all looked at the rest of our family, slowly approaching. Well, at least most of them were slowly approaching. One of them was running and bouncing up and down just like Alice was. I laughed before he picked me up in a bone-crushing hug.

"Bellarina! I'm glad you came home!" He yelled in his booming voice.

"Can't- breath- Em." I couldn't get any more out and he didn't seem to hear me. I saw Edward come closer and smack him on the head.

"Ouch. What was that for?" He asked, finally putting me down.

"She couldn't breath, you idiot." We all laughed at Emmett's sorry face.

"My bad, Bellsy." I smiled at him and hugged him again.

"It's okay, Em." He hugged me back softly this time and punched Edward's arm. I was passed on to Esme and Carlisle, while Emmett and Edward hugged.

"Bella. It's so good to have you home." Esme gave me a motherly hug and held me at arms length. "You look well."

"Thank you, Esme. It's nice to see you too." Carlisle hugged me also.

"Bella." We smiled at each other and he searched me for any cuts or bruises.

"All good, dad," I said and we both laughed. Jasper and Rosalie were standing quietly in the back, smiling at me softly. I walked up to Jasper and he gave me a soft hug.

"Hey, sis. Nice to have you back. We missed you." He smiled at me and gave me a soft peck on the cheek.

"Thanks, Jazz. I missed you, too." I moved onto Rosalie and I was a little hesitant on what she would do. "Hi, Rose," I said as I walked up to her. She also seemed hesitant, but her whole expression changed to a big grin as she hugged me with passion.

"Bella," she said. "I'm glad you decided to stay a human. Even if it's for a little while longer," she whispered in my ear and I smiled back at her while pulling away.

"Thanks, Rose."

The boys had already grabbed our luggage and we walked out to the parking lot.

"Don't think about it, Alice. She's coming with me." I heard from behind me. I turned to see Alice and Edward staring each other down.

"That's so not fair, Edward. You had her to yourself this whole time. She's riding with me." She balled up her hands and I laughed, causing them both to look at me.

"Are you guys seriously fighting about that?" They both nodded, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Wow."

"Fine, Alice. She can ride with you." Alice squealed and grabbed my hand, leading me to her car. Jasper wasn't far behind and Edward decided to tag along, too.

"Hey, you weren't a part of the deal!" She scowled at Edward. I grabbed his hand and stared at Alice.

"We're a package," I said and we all laughed. We loaded the car and drove off to the house. During the ride, we spoke about all the cool stuff we did on Isle Esme. Jasper and Alice asked all types of questions. They laughed at everything funny and awed at everything cute. It was nice to be with my family again.

Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the garage behind Carlisle. I walked out quickly and into the house I have missed for so long. Everything was still the same and I was happy to see it didn't change. Everyone filled in behind me and they all laughed at my expression.

"So, Bella. Are you glad to be back?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes. I'm very happy."

Esme made me dinner and everyone sat at the table talking. I ate and engaged in conversation with everyone at the same time.

"So what are we planning to do with school?" I asked catching everyone's attention.

"That's a good question that I have been thinking about for a while." Carlisle looked around as everyone became silent. "I thought it would be best if you all started in the same year." We all nodded in agreement. "And since Bella will have to be a freshman, all of you will be freshmen." There a couple of groans, but everyone agreed.

"Living arrangements," said Esme, sitting next to Carlisle. "We will have a big house that will have enough rooms for each of you separately. However, Carlisle and I will be sharing the house with Alice and Jasper." They smiled at each other. "Emmett and Rosalie will have their smaller house to the right of us, and Bella and Edward have their bigger house across the street."

"Sounds awesome," I said. Everyone laughed and I blushed scarlet.

"Of course it would. To you, anyway." Emmett laughed at his own joke.

"Now, we need to get the papers before moving in next week so Jasper and Bella will be in charge of getting that done."

"Hey! Why does Bella get to go?! Why can't it be me?" Emmett whined.

"Because Bella is less suspicious to our already suspicious seller, Em. She blends in better than the rest of us," Jasper explained to him.

"Oh," Emmett said and smiled again.

"Can someone explain what I have to do exactly?" I looked around as everyone looked to Jasper.

"J. Jenks is a man I have known for a long time. He supplies us with our illegal documentation. That includes birth certificates, social security cards, licenses and adoption papers. I usually go to him alone and tell him what I need. He's afraid of me, you see, and is already suspecting that there is something unnatural about our family. If you accompanied me, he would be less suspicious." He smiled at me and I smiled back. This job didn't seem so hard.

"Well, okay. It sounds like fun."

"Oh, it is!" Said Jasper. "This man is scared to death of me and its fun to mess around with him." We both laughed.

"So, it's settled. You two will go and get those before next week," said Carlisle. "We will need passports for everyone, drivers licenses for everyone, adoption papers for everyone, social security cards for everyone, and birth certificates for everyone. Well, for everyone except Bella." Everyone smiled at me.

"Okay, Carlisle. Now how will we split this up? All of the passports and licenses need to say that we are 18 or 19. Is everyone okay with their regular birthday?" Jasper asked. Everyone nodded. "But how will we split up the names? Will we be in pairs?"

"Well, we can put you and Rosalie into your usual pair. Twins as always and one set of adoption papers. You will take Hale as your last name, as usual." Rosalie and Jaspr smiled at each other. "Bella will be our loner, since all of her original documents already say Swan on them. She will just need a marriage certificate stating that she is married to Edward. She will take on the last name Cullen-Swan. Is that okay Bella?"

"Of course. I just have one question… Do you guys do this all the time? Sit and discuss every last detail?" Everyone laughed.

"Yes, love. We never noticed that before." Everyone laughed again.

Carlisle continued. "Now Edward, Alice and Emmett will be together. You will all take Cullen as your last name, but will not be related by blood." Everyone nodded.

"So what will the story be, Carlisle?" Asked Rosalie.

"Well, you and Jasper can be the nephews of Esme. Your parents died and your only living relative was Esme. We raised you up as our adopted kids, but kept your last name." They both nodded.

"What about us?" asked Alice.

"Well, you all can be orphaned with your original last names. We adopted you at different times and changed your names." They all nodded as well.

"And Bella?" asked Edward.

"She can keep her story. She married you when you guys got out of high school and now lives with us. She combined her last names."

"Okay," I said. That would be easy.

"Now who would like to explain to Bella the hardships of college and the questions that we are usually faced with?" Esme asked, smiling at all of us.

"Well, you can't be afraid of any of the upperclassmen. They're all cowards," said Rosalie.

"If someone asks you why you hang out with such strange people, punch them in the face and say 'I'm married to Edward!' That would be fun to watch." Emmett laughed.

"Shut up, Em. If anyone gets suspicious of us, tell us immediately and we will handle it, Alice said.

"Okay," I tried to remember everything. "Anything else?"

"Nope. Basically everything else is basic. Nothing too hard for you to comprehend," Jasper joked.

"One last thing," said Edward. "No talking to any hormonal boys alone without someone with you." Everyone groaned.

"Edward! We all know how much she loves you. She wont go around making out with other guys." Alice laughed at Emmett's joke.

"You never know. Every decade the boys become more and more adamant about what they want."

"Whatever, Edward. I'll know if anything happens. Does that make you feel better?" Alice asked.

"A little," he confessed.

"And I'll keep an eye on my new sister, said Rosalie. "No harm, or hormonal boys, will come to her." I smiled at her.

"Okay, fine." Edward gave me a kiss on the cheek as I laughed at his protectiveness.

Now that everything is settled, we can start packing everything up and sending them to New Hampshire. Alice can start buying the furnishings for all the houses and Esme can start making renovations via email," Carlisle concluded.

"Okay!" yelled my sister. "Now it's present time!"

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes, Bella. I am going to give you my present and you are going to like it!" She gave me the meanest look so I gave in.

"Alright, Alice. What is my present?" She squealed and grabbed my hand. Everyone followed us to the front door.

"Hold on a second. Can we save your present for last? Let the little presents go first." Esme held out a small box towards me. It wasn't wrapped, so I took off the cover to reveal a beautiful locket. It had the initials E+B and the front. I opened it to see a beautiful picture of me and Edward at our wedding. On the other side it had a graving that said 'Love mom and dad.' I smiled and gave Carlisle and Esme a big hug.

"Thank you so much. It's beautiful." They smiled back at me as Edward grabbed my attention.

"Now it's my turn." He pulled out a set of keys and grabbed my hand. He walked me to the garage and pulled me to the far corner. "This is you after-your-before-but before-your-after car." I laughed at his name. "I already traded in your guardian before I knew you were going to stay human, so I bought you a new one." I rolled my eyes and he laughed.

The lights turned on and in the corner was a blue Camry. It was stylish, yet subtle and looked like it would o fast, but not extremely fast.

"Edward! I love it!" I can't believe I just squealed over a car. "Thank you." I hugged him and kissed him. He laughed and handed me the keys. The key ring had a huge letter B on it in gold. On the back of it, it had a graving 'I love you so much. Love, Edward.' I smiled and grabbed his hand.

"Now that we are all done with the _little _presents, can we please get to the big present." Alice was already getting impatient and everyone laughed.

"Okay, Alice. Take me to it." She tossed something to Jasper and climbed on my back. She covered my eyes.

"Edward, take her to it." He grabbed my hand and we walked for a distance before coming to a stop.

"Can I open my eyes now?" I asked, tired of Alice covering my eyes.

"Not yet. Rosalie is just putting the finishing touch." Everyone laughed and then quieted down. Alice gave me my vision back and I stared at the little house in front of me.

I gasped. It looked just like an old-fashioned cottage. I covered my mouth and continued to gape. It was so-

"It's from Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and me," Alice said when no words came out of my mouth.

"We worked on it since the day you left," said Rosalie.

"I wanted it to be bigger," grumbled Emmett.

"Don't you like it?" Jasper asked.

"Bella, love. Speak. Your killing their patience." Edward laughed.

I let go of the breath I didn't know I was holding and uncovered my mouth.

"It's perfect," I breathed, hugging my siblings.

"Great! I'm so happy. Now Edward knows where everything is. We're just going to give you guys some alone time. See you bright and early tomorrow morning." Alice laughed as everyone left.

"Thanks, Alice," I called, knowing she could still hear me.

"Let's go inside," Edward said and handed me a key. I took it and went to open the door.

"Wow," I breathed and looked around the old-fashioned living room.

I turned to look at Edward, but as I did, he attacked me with his lips. I welcomed this and we tangled in on each other. Edward seemed to give into his temptation, me, and walked us to our room. He whispered 'I'll be careful' before we made love for the second time.


	3. Dartmouth

_I do not own anything. only the plot and original characters. Please enjoy and review :D_

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Dartmouth

I was leaving today with Jasper to go see J. Jenks. Jasper said we had to look professional, so I let Alice dress me in a pearl grey sheath. Jasper dressed in black slacks and a white button-up shirt. I walked down the stairs with my brother to say good-bye to the rest of the family. We had all gathered in the big house that morning for 'breakfast'. I was really the only one eating while everyone else watched.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, Edward's eyes landed on me. His eyes ran up and down my outfit before landing on my face with a huge smile. I blushed, remembering what we did last night.

"Focus, Bella," Jasper urged. I nodded and thought of something else. "We still need to give you a few directions on what to do."

"Yeah, Bella." Alice strode to my side and took my arm. We sat on the couch while the whole family gave me tips on how to behave.

"Okay, Bella," Esme began. "All your actions must be dragged out and exaggerated. It will make Jasper's less frequent movements less noticeable."

"And don't try to move so much," added Emmett.

"Humans cannot look at something for too long, but try your best to do just that," said Rosalie. I nodded.

"You also can't let him see the difference between us," said Jasper.

"That's why I had to make your skin extra pale." Alice smiled. "You also have to act comfortable around Jasper. Make it seem like there's nothing fearful or unusual about him."

"Guys," said Edward. "I think your overwhelming her."

"No, I think I got it." I tried to remember. "Exaggerate movements, try to focus on one thing for a while, don't fidget, act natural…"

"Impressive," Carlisle said. Everyone smiled at me.

"Okay, lets go." Jasper held out his hand and I took it. I waved good-bye and quickly pecked Edward on the lips. We walked to Alice's Porsche and drove off to Seattle. We drove to a big corporation building and parked. My heart started beating wildly and I started to panic. What if I didn't do this right? What if, because of me, I expose my family for what they really are?

"Bella," Jasper said sharply. I turned to face him. "You'll do fine. Stop panicking." He smiled and I smiled back. I focused on my heart rate and slowed it down. Jasper nodded his head in approval and we walked into the building.

There were people running around inside the business, maybe trying to get somewhere important. We walked up to a lady sitting behind a big desk.

"Okay, Bella. I'm going to let you do this part. Go up to the lady and ask for Mr. Scott. When she asks who you are, say you are Mr. Jasper and Mrs. Cullen. She's new so she won't recognize me." I nodded and he pushed me towards the desk. The pretty blonde looked up at me.

"Hello, ma'am. How may I help you?"

"I'm here to see Mr. Scott," I said shortly. I tried to put some superiority in my voice, knowing that I would be able to intimidate her with Jasper by my side.

"Do you have an appointment?" She swooned for a second over Jasper and returned her attention to me.

"Not exactly."

"It could be a while then. Let me see if he is expecting you. Name?"

"Mr. Jasper and Mrs. Cullen." I smiled at my new last name.

She nodded and typed something on her intercom and it beeped. A man's demanding voice came out of it.

_What is it April? I told you that I am very busy._

"I know, sir, but there are two people here to see you."

_Tell them to schedule an appointment and wait. I cannot attend them now._ I looked to Jasper with horror. Now we had to wait and I would get more nervous. Jasper nodded reassuringly and stepped forward.

"Name," he whispered.

"Oh, sir? They said their names are Mr. Jasper and Mrs. Cullen. Does that help none?" She looked a little annoyed at her new boss.

_What? Send them in immediately! What are you waiting for? _

"But you just said…"

_Forget about what I said! Just send them up! NOW! _You could hear nerves and stress in his voice. Jasper smirked.

"Right away, Mr. Scott." She ushered us through a short hallway, offering us drinks and food. Jasper refused, and so did I, not wanting to make him seem out of place. She showed us to a door and we thanked her, walking in.

There was a balding man sitting at a desk in the middle of the room. He looked up at us as the door closed. He was wearing a stiff cotton, light blue shirt with a dark blue tie. He stood up quickly, his face loosing all of his color and his forehead was drenched in sweat. He stretched his hand over the desk and shook Jasper's hand. I wondered if he was afraid of the coldness of his touch.

"Nice to see you again, Mr. Jasper. I trust you are in good health." Jasper nodded, smirking a little.

"Nice to see you, too, J." They released and J looked over at me. He held out his hand again. I took it and shook quickly.

"I must ask, am I finally meeting Mr. Jasper's lovely wife?" Jasper and I looked at each other and laughed loudly.

"Hardly, J. I am his sister-in-law." We both laughed again and J joined in nervously. Jasper got serious and I followed his motion, crossing my legs slowly.

"I am a bit disappointed, J. Your receptionist was about to make us wait. You know I don't like waiting…" Jasper was having a little too much fun scaring this guy.

"My apologies, Mr. Jasper. It will never happen again. My apologies to you, too, Mrs. Cullen." He seemed scared beyond belief.

"Please," I said softly. "Call me Bella." I had to make him feel a little bit more comfortable.

"Of course," he said and pulled out a legal pad. "Now, what can I do for you today?"

"Papers," I said. Jasper looked at me and I realized J already knew we needed papers. I looked down ashamed. I felt the calm even before I felt embarrassed.

"Certainly," J agreed, giving me a look. Jasper shot him a murderous glare and he quickly straightened up. "What are we talking?"

"The usual," said Jasper and I smiled at J sadly. I had an itch and I scratched it slowly while Jasper crossed his ankles and leaned back.

"Of course," J said as he scribbled on the pad.

Jasper continued to torture J and I continued to make him feel a little more comfortable. We provided all the information, Jasper yelling at the poor man every time he made a mistake. I had to try hard not to laugh. We ordered them for the end of the week and Jasper made it clear that we do not accept extra charges…

"Now when should I have them ready for you?" J continued writing the information on the pad.

"End of the week?" I asked, not sure if so many documents would be finished on time.

"That's a rush order and will cost twice as much." Jasper looked at him with another glare. J quickly corrected himself. "But forgive me. I forgot to whom I was speaking. The end of the week is perfectly fine."

"Just give us the number, J." Jasper was starting to get impatient. He wrote down the number on the bottom of the pad. Before he showed it to us, I felt calm fall over me. I realized Jasper didn't want me to freak out because of the amount. We looked at the number and he was right. I would've freaked out, but I kept my cool. We both nodded.

"Bella," Jasper said. I nodded and reached into my purse while Jasper got up. I stared at him confused. "Give him half, then we'll go." I shook my head before he even finished the sentence.

"That's crazy, Jasper." I went back into my purse and took out the full amount. "Has my brother been treating you like this all along, J?" I smiled wryly at him.

"Please, Bella. There is no problem…" He trailed off as I held up my hand and shook my head. Jasper laughed silently. I handed him the full amount and got up.

"Bella… You really don't have to pay me entirely now."

"But I trust you, J." I smiled warmly. "I'll even give you a bonus when you deliver them to us." He nodded.

"Usual place?" Jasper asked.

"Of course," J said as he shook our hands and promised to see us at the end of the week. We walked back to the car and laughed the whole way back about the way J was feeling and acting.

"I think he has a thing for you, Bella." I shook my head in embarrassment. "Edward won't be too happy to hear that in my thoughts." We both laughed as we thought of Edward's reaction. I was just so excited to see him again. Jasper pulled into a fast-food restaurant, saying something about Esme not having time to cook because of the hunt the rest of the family went on. I ate in the car and we pulled up to the big house when I finished. Edward was waiting on the porch, eyes tight and arms crossed.

"That's nice, Jazz." Edward walked over to us and spoke as we opened the doors. "Of course you wouldn't have said anything to him." Edward grabbed my waist and pulled me to his side.

"What was I supposed to say Edward?" He laughed slightly. "Something like 'please stop feeling that way about my sister. I can read your emotions, you know.' What a great way to keep our secret." They both laughed and Edward nodded. The rest of the family were still out hunting. Jasper went to join them and Edward and I hung around the house.

We were moving today. Jasper and I went to pick up the documents yesterday at a restaurant in Seattle. We politely refused the dinner J offered to buy us and returned home. We finished packing this morning. I was excited, to say the least. I was happy to be going to college with my new family. Dartmouth. Wow. An ivy league school.

We arrived at the airport and took our first-class seats. I quickly dozed off.

"Bella! Wake up!" Alice shook my shoulder from the seat behind me.

"Ugh," I groaned and rolled over into Edward's arms. He chuckled.

"Bella!" Alice shook me again.

"Alice, can't you let me sleep?" I sat up straight, unwillingly. "Edward, please control our sister." He took a swipe at her, but she ducked right on time. Jasper hit Edward's head and I laughed.

"Hey, don't try to hit my wife." Jasper and Edward laughed together.

"Now, why are you waking me up Alice?" I turned to face her.

"We're landing!" she squealed and we all buckled in. When we landed, we grabbed our luggage and got into a huge taxi. We were driven to our new house. It was just like Esme had described it.

The houses were at the end on the street, right next to the lake. There was humongous house on the end of one side, the one we pulled into. It was old-fashioned looking. The house right next to it was very small and old-fashioned looking as well. The house across the street was slightly bigger than the second with the same style. I ogled at its beauty.

"You like?" Edward asked, kissing my cheek. I nodded and everyone chuckled.

Edward and I unloaded our luggage and walked to our house. Everyone did the same and we promised to meet up tomorrow morning in the big house before we went off to school. I walked into the house and froze.

It was beautiful. The first thing you see is a spiraling staircase going up to a second-floor balcony. The living room was to the left while the kitchen and dining room were on the right and stretched out behind the stairs. The entire left wall of the house was replaced with glass, just like the back wall in the old house. There was a beautiful view of the lake. I walked to the window and smiled. Edward came up behind me and hugged me. I leaned into him just as the sun came out from behind a cloud. It was setting against the water, creating a beautiful image in front of us.

"Beautiful," I sighed. He chuckled and I turned to face him. His skin was sparkling as the sun hit it. I touched his face lightly.

"Not with you standing in comparison," he said and it was my turn to chuckle. "Let's go see the rest of the house." He grabbed my hand and we climbed the stairs. We walked the balcony looking over the front hall and into the door directly in front of us. It was right above the living room, so I wasn't surprised to see that the entire left wall was replaced with glass as well.

"How are we going to change and have fun with all our business in the open?" Edward laughed and walked over to the wall. Right next to the closet door was a button. He pressed it and a curtain covered the wall, blocking out the shining sun with its thick fabric. The bed was huge and white, facing the huge window. We walked into the huge closet, filled with clothes already. I chuckled and walked into another door at the other side of the room. I walked into our master bathroom. It was big with a shower, a tub, toilet and sink. I smiled again. I guess this was the life of a Cullen and I would have to get used to it.

"What's at the other end of the hall?" I asked.

"Just two smaller guest rooms. They look like ours with a bed and a few dressers." He smiled and my stomach growled. "Hungry?" I nodded. He took my hand and took me to the kitchen. I took a seat at the island and watched Edward cook me lasagna. I smiled at him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just feel like a real family watching you cook for me." He laughed.

"It would be more of a family if the woman was in the kitchen, don't you think?"

"Are you going old-timey on me?" He shook his head in mock disbelief.

"Don't worry, Bella. I don't mind cooking for you." We smiled at each other and he put a plate in front of me. I dove in, not realizing how hungry I really was.

"That was delicious, Edward. Thank you, I said as I helped him clean up the kitchen.

"No problem, love." We walked up the stairs and changed for bed. As soon as my head hit Edward's chest, I was out like a light.

I woke up to the sound of a radio. I opened my eyes and saw Edward no where to be found. I got up and walked into the bathroom, where I heard the radio playing.

"Care to join me?" Edward asked from inside the shower. I smiled and stripped off my clothes. I got in and Edward met me with a kiss. "Good morning, gorgeous." I blushed and we showered. We knew we couldn't get carried away with the whole family waiting for us at the big house. We got out, dried off, and got dressed. Well, at least I tried to get dressed.

"Uh, Bella?" Edward sounded nervous as I was pulling jeans on in our huge closet. Edward was already dressed in khaki pants and a white, button-up. He rolled up the sleeves to his elbows and left his hair in a disarray. He pulled on his shoes while I waited for him to continue. "Alice wants you to wear something specific. She said if you don't wear it, she'll 'bring you back and change you herself.'" He shrugged apologetically.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Just give me the outfit." Edward held out a pile of clothes. Alice picked out a mini denim skirt with a blue, dressy tank top. I was happy when I saw that Alice picked out white sandals instead of heels. I dressed quickly and turned around in front of Edward. "How do I look?"

He stared at me for a minute before walking over to me. He pulled out my hair from my ponytail and shook my hair out with his fingers. He handed me a white headband and I put it on. "Perfect," he said. I smiled and applied some natural make-up.

We walked hand-in-hand across the street. The sun was already hidden, but it was warm out. Everyone was waiting outside.

"Hey, guys," I said and walked up to them. "Are we ready to go?" Everyone nodded and Esme handed me something in aluminum foil.

"Egg sandwich, your breakfast." I smiled and took it. We all walked to the garage and the fighting happened.

"That's not fair, Edward!" screamed Rosalie. "We always have to squish in your car. We don't all fit in the Volvo anymore! Not with Bella!" Edward glared at her.

"Then what do you suggest, Rose? Everyone take their respective cars and arise suspicion?" Rose shook her head.

"Besides you always get to drive. Let Bella test out her speed and new car." Rosalie crossed her arms and stared at Edward.

"Here's what we're going to do…" Alice began and they both glared at her.

"What makes you think we have to listen to you?" Rose said.

"Because I'm tired of you two arguing. I'm going in my Porsche with Jasper, Rosalie can go in her M3 with Emmett and Edward can go with Bella in her Camry. There, done!" Alice stormed to her car with Jasper in tow. We all walked to our respective cars and I hoped into the driver's seat.

"Alice says to tell you not to be nervous. All you have to do is step on the gas pedal a little more and follow her car. Rose will be behind us." He laughed suddenly.

"What?" I asked, self conscious.

"I guess it's wife driving day. Esme and Carlisle are going to their new jobs and Esme insisted on driving Carlisle." We had already pulled out and I went at regular speed. Rose honked behind us as I tried to see where Alice had gone. Rose continued to honk and I saw her scowling through the rearview mirror.

"Where did she go Edward?" Edward laughed.

"She's already down the street, Bella. You have to keep up. Once you get used to our speed, you'll love driving as a vampire. Now press on the gas pedal." Edward grabbed my knee and forced it down. I complied and the car shot forward. I quickly pressed on the breaks. "That was a perfect speed. Now try again, but don't get shocked this time."

"But Edward, what if I get us lost anyway? Or worse, what if the cops show up?" Edward looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"First, we wont get lost. I can always tell you the way. Second," he tapped his forehead. "I'll know if the cops are anywhere near by." We both laughed and I pressed on the gas again. Alice was waiting for me on the curb so I could catch up. Rosalie was right on my tail and sped off to the school.

I felt so bad. I was going 70 in a 35 mph zone. Edward appraised my driving and I have to admit that it was a little fun. Edward said I would get to go even faster when I'm a vampire, but everyone was toning down for my sake. We parked in front of the huge campus and got out.

"Nice job, Bellsy!" Emmett boomed as he got out of the car. "Who knew you had it in you?" He laughed and everyone joined.

"I thought she would never move." Rosalie rolled her eyes, but then laughed. "It's okay, sis. You'll get better."

"I hope so." We all turned and noticed the whole parking lot staring at us.

"And so school begins…" Jasper grabbed Alice's hand and Emmett and Edward followed suit. We all walked together to the main building. I felt self conscious with all the other students staring at me. The boys stared with longing while the girls stared with envy at me Alice, and Rosalie. It was totally opposite for Edward, Emmett and Jasper. I laughed inwardly. _Just like Forks High. _

We walked into the main hall to see it packed with students getting their schedules and school maps. We all got on the line that said 'C'. Jasper and Rosalie got on the line that said 'H'. As I walked behind Edward, I bumped into someone, hard.

"Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry," I said as I turned to face the person. I froze in shock as I stared at him. He looked me over and landed his green eyes on mine.

"Don't worry about it. I hardly felt it." He held out his hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name. I'm Lucas Mendez. And you are?" I grabbed his hand and shook it quickly.

"Um-uh…" I stuttered, still unable to get over the fact that the boy standing in front of me was the boy I had dreamt of last month. I continued to stare with my mouth open as he laughed. "Bella Cullen-Swan." I said finally.

"Well Bella, I hope to see you in my classes." He walked away just as Edward called my name.

"Who was that, Bella?" He said when I walked up to him, already almost to the front of the line.

"Just I boy I bumped into. I was just being polite." He nodded and we continued to the line.

"Edward Cullen," he said to the lady behind the desk. She quickly found his papers and handed them to him. He thanked her and walked off.

"Isabella Cullen-Swan." She nodded and handed me my own papers. I thanked her and went to my first class.

The first day was very short. Every class was five minutes, only the teacher introducing himself and talking about the expectations for each class. I had Chemistry with Edward and Rosalie, Government with Edward and Jasper, Spanish with Emmett, Edward, and Alice, and Writing was my major class. I took it alone. Edward took AP Biology along with our Chemistry for his major. Jasper took law. Emmett took teaching (who knew?). Alice took Fashion Design. And Rosalie took Engineering. The only class we all had together was Trigonometry.

I was surprised to see that the boy I met that morning, Lucas, was in a couple of my classes. He was in my Writing and Trigonometry class. He saw me in Trig and smiled. I nodded and Edward gave him a look. Alice had a vision and had a worried face for the rest of the class. In Writing, he sat down right next to me and stroke up a conversation.

"Hey. Bella, right?" He smirked and I nodded. "You like writing?"

"Love it," I said. He smiled and agreed with me. "Major?"

"Yes, ma'am. I love it, too." He then looked slightly nervous. "Well, I know it's a little early, but…" He was interrupted by the teacher. I sighed in relief and ran out of the class when the bell rang. I didn't get very far before I felt a hand grab my wrist.

"Bella. Wait up. I was wondering if you wanted to grab an early lunch with me." He looked hopeful.

"I'm sorry, Lucas. I don't think that's a good idea." His face fell and my stomach dropped.

"Why not? You have a boyfriend or something?"

"Not exactly…"

"So what's the problem?"

"I don't think my husband would like that…"

"Husband!" His eyes bulged out. "Who's your husband?"

"I am." Edward wrapped his arm around me and we walked away, leaving a stunned Lucas behind.


	4. Quick Note

Author's Note!

To all of my faithful readers, I have a surprise for you guys! I want those of you that can to create a poster/banner for your favorite story and send it to me. I will post them on my profile and it would be greatly appreciated. Again, thank you for all of your constant support and reviews. I really am thankful to all of you. You guys are the ones that make my stories continue every chapter. So please send in your banners!


	5. Fighting

Fighting

"That wasn't very nice…" I said to Edward as we walked to my Camry. I chuckled, but Edward didn't join in. I glanced at his face and saw he had a hard expression on his face.

"I don't like that guy talking to you, Bella…" He opened my door for me, but I stood staring at him. I cocked my head to the side and he sighed. "He gives me a bad feeling. I don't know…"

"Edward," I grabbed his hand and kissed his palm. "I'm married to you. I only want you. No one else will ever get in our way." We smiled at each other and he nodded at me.

Driving home was no better than driving to school. Rose was a little pissed at me when she had to tailgate me again. Alice, of course, can never wait for anyone and we got home 30 minutes after school had let out.

"Dang, Bella…" Jasper said in his slight twang. "We would've been home 25 minutes ago…" He laughed and Emmett joined in. Edward coughed beside me and I knew he was trying to stifle a laugh. I rolled my eyes at them and started to walk out of the garage.

"Bella!" Alice popped up in front of me and I gave a little yelp. "Where are you going?"

"Um, to my house?" I phrased it like a question and Alice rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Bells. Esme and Carlisle aren't home yet… Let's all just hang out here for the day. I'll even make you lunch."

"Fine," I groaned and walked around her to the door that lead to the house.

I gasped when I walked in… The house looked gorgeous and almost the same as the big house back in Forks. The white-on-white rug and furniture in the living room and kitchen with the back glass-wall looking out into the beautiful stream and forest all reminded me of home. I heard everyone laughing at me like always. Why couldn't they just understand that I needed to get used to all of this stuff? But I couldn't complain. I had the best family in the world.

"Bella, how about some mac and cheese?" Alice asked as she flitted towards the kitchen.

"That sounds awesome." We all entered the house and took up our usual spots in the living room. Emmett automatically turned on the TV and we started watching the football game. I sighed and leaned against Edward's knees from my spot on the floor. Just when I got comfortable, the pixie called me in to eat my lunch.

"Thanks, Alice," I said as I sat at the table. The pasta covered in cheddar cheese looked wonderful. But then I remembered something earlier about that day.

"Alice!" I called before she left the room. "I need to talk to you…" She narrowed her eyes and took the seat next to me at the table.

"What's up, Bella?" Alice folded her hands on the table and sat on her legs. She reminded me of a little girl asking for candy. I smiled, but shook my head and got to the point.

"What was up with you in Trig?" I stared her down and she squirmed a little.

"Nothing, Bella…" Alice squirmed even more when I narrowed my eyes and stared her down. "I just had a stupid vision, okay?" she yelled and composed herself.

"What was it about?" I was worried she would say something about my dad being worried about me and what not. I told him I would call him in a few days.

"Let's go for a walk, Bella…" Her words didn't match what her eyes were saying. They were saying _I don't want anyone else to overhear. _I nodded and we walked to the front door.

"Where are you guys off to?" asked Rosalie as she came down the stairs.

"We're just going to take a walk down on the beach." Alice waved and closed the door.

"Don't leave me here with _them_!" she yelled loud enough for us to hear. We laughed and walked down the path next to my house that led to the beach's shore. We walked down the trail in silence and found the sand just a few minutes later. It was cloudy out, so Alice wouldn't be worried about any on-lookers. We removed our sandals and walked along the sand in silence for a little longer until Alice spoke up.

"I don't want Edward to know what is going on. And it was really hard to hide this vision from him, but I did it. So I don't want you to speak a word of it to him. It wouldn't be good for anybody…" Alice gave me a long stare and I nodded.

"Just spit it out, Alice. You're scaring me." She sighed and we both sat down on the sand.

"It was about that Lucas guy from school." My eyes widened and my pulse quickened. "I saw you kissing him." I gasped and she stared into my eyes.

"Alice…" I couldn't speak.

"I don't want to see my brother hurt, Bella. What is going on between you two?"

"Nothing, Alice! He showed obvious interest in me and we have two classes together. That's all." I stared back into Alice's eyes and she nodded slowly.

"Okay, but I think you should stay away from him. I have a bad feeling about him…" She stared off into the water.

I laughed so hard that Alice's gaze was almost murderous when she whipped her head to look at me.

"What?" she hissed.

"It's just hard to believe you and Edward aren't really related. He said the same thing with the same gaze." I laughed again and Alice's face smoothed out. "But there's one thing I know you'll do that Edward won't…" I said when my giggles stopped.

"What's that?"

"You'll try to explain what feels so wrong about him."

"Well," Alice began, "it's just one thing in specific that we all noticed. Something you can't even notice. Yet." She gave me a cheeky grin, but my face stayed serene waiting for her to continue. "His smell is off. None of us can put our finger on it, really, but we all admit it's there…"

"Well, I promise his _smell _won't have anything to do with me liking him. Your brother is all I really need." We laughed and stood up, shaking ourselves off of sand, and walked back to the house. The scene we walked in on seemed to be normal for Alice, but hilarious to me.

Edward was standing on the couch with his hands in the air like a champion. Emmett and Jasper were both sprawled on the floor pretending to be dead. Rosalie was in one of the arm chairs with her eyes squeezed shut and her hand covering her ears. She was muttering a lot of incoherent things. I laughed so hard, I had to grab my sides for support while Alice just walked in and smacked Edward on his head.

"Ow, Alice." He ribbed his head and watched Alice pick Emmett and Jasper up by their ears. "We were only playing."

"Yeah, but you're giving Rosalie here an excuse to rip all of your heads off." The boys grumbled and I walked over to Rose. I finally heard what she was mumbling about.

"…no matches in this house. I need the dang matches…" I chuckled and slowly touched her arm. Her eyes shot open and she smiled weakly at me. "I'm so happy you guys are back!" She removed her hands from her ears and stood up to hug me. "I thought I was going to have to kill them." I chuckled again.

For the rest of the day, we all just played games and watched TV. We all played Twister for a while. Of course, I lost because there were so many stone, hard bodies in the way. I also played chess with Jasper, only this time, he was giving me pointers on moves to make. I learned a lot and even won a game. Against Emmett, of course. Alice and Edward didn't want to stop playing chess for the rest of the day. We were so fed up and left them to their never ending game of psychics and mind-readers.

Esme came home at around 2 in the afternoon. Yeah, I know it seemed as we took all day to play games, but it was literally only a few hours. She smiled at everyone and went to make me a snack.

"Hey, guys?" Alice said coming into the living room. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and I broke into a chorus of 'Hallelujah' when we saw the two non-stoppers come out of the dining room. They both rolled their eyes and Alice continued. "How about we all go to the movies tonight?"

"Sure," we all said together and laughed.

"On one condition," said Emmett.

"What's that?" Edward gave him a skeptic look.

"The men get to drive!" We all laughed and walked out into the garage. Emmett was just excited to drive his new car. He traded in his Jeep for an even bigger, scarier looking car. The black hummer was a five-seater and the leather seating was very expensive looking. The heavily tainted windows served perfectly for what it would be used for.

Jasper had bought himself a car, too. His black Mustang V6 was his new baby. Although he has never gotten to drive it, he is very anxious and I can tell. Alice could, too, and she looke happy that he was finally able to get his own car.

We all got in to our cars and drove off to the nearest movie theatre. Edward kept looking at me the entire time he was driving and I had a feeling he was getting over his weird mood. Like I told Alice, Lucas was nothing but a classmate to me. I would never think of anything more toward him. Like I needed any more boys liking me anyway.

Edward was my husband and Jacob was always in love with me. I was in love with him, too, but marrying Edward proved who I really belonged to. And even though the last time I saw Jacob was not under good circumstances, I still cared about him as my best friend. I was surprised I haven't even thought about him until now. I wonder what he was doing right now….

"Bella." Edward's voice brought me out of my trance and I noticed he was holding my door open for me. Wow. I was out of it for the whole ride to the theatre.

"Sorry. I was just thinking." We chuckled together and I let him help me out of the car. We walked to the ticket stand where everyone else was waiting. They were chatting animatedly while we walked up to them. "What movie are we watching?" I asked.

"Avatar. It's supposed to be really good," Rose said and handed me my 3D glasses. I nodded and we all walked into the room where we would watch the movie. We were a little early so I went to buy something at the concession stand. I bought a water bottle and a bag of sour patch. On my way back to the room, I heard a familiar voice calling after me.

"Bella? Is that you?" I turned to see Lucas waving to me.

"Hey, Lucas." I waited for him to walk up to me and he smiled genuinely at me.

"Hey. Are you here alone?" He seemed a little hopeful.

"Um, no. I'm actually here with my family."

"Oh." His face fell just a little and he smiled at me crookedly. It reminded me so much of Edward…

"Well, my movie's about to start, so I'll see you tomorrow…" I started to turn away from him.

"Wait, Bella. Let me walk you. What movie are you guys watching?" He fell into step next to me and I rolled my eyes internally. He was so insistent.

"Um, that Avatar movie. Everyone wanted to watch it…" His eyes brightened and he stood in our path.

"I'm watching that, too. I'm here with a couple college friends." He smiled. "Maybe we can all sit together…"

I was about to decline, when I saw the desperation in Lucas' eyes. It looked like he desperately wanted a real friend, someone to really talk to. He just met all of his new 'college friends'. But he also just met me. So I wasn't sure if it was a desperation for friendship or companionship. One of them, I would have no problem with. But was I able to give him any of those?

"Look, if you didn't want to, it's okay…" he pouted and slumped his shoulders, turning to walk away. The guilt ate at me alive and I really hoped I wouldn't get in any trouble.

"Lucas! C'mon. Let's go bring our groups together." He smiled at me brilliantly and I smiled back, even though one thought kept going through my mind. _Edward is not going to like this… _

We walked into the theatre together. My family was sitting in the middle of the room and Lucas' friends were obviously in the front being loud and obnoxious. I really hoped they would be quiet if they came to sit around Rosalie. She wasn't good with controlling her temper. I stopped at my row and Lucas called a 'be right back' to me and I nodded at him. I went to sit next to Edward and everyone was giving me questioning looks. Ugh.

"Guys. You're overwhelming her." Jasper spoke quietly, but his voice cut through the air like a knife. Everyone softened their gazes, but never took their eyes away from me.

"Bella. Start explaining why those _humans _are walking over here." Rosalie moved her gaze to the group approaching us.

"Um, long story short, he gave me the guilt trip…" Everyone groaned, knowing that is my very weakness. That's when everyone started shifting seats. I guessed they were trying to protect me and Jasper, who were the weakest links in the family. I was in the middle of the row with Edward on my left side. Alice moved from the end of the row to the other side of Edward. Jasper sat next to her, at the end of the row. Emmett and Rosalie moved to the row behind us. Emmett was directly behind me with Rose on his right.

Lucas and his friends came, then, and took their seats. Lucas sat next to me, which earned him a look from Edward, and my brothers. Two of his friends sat on his other side and one of them hesitated in the aisle.

"Hey. Guys, this is Bella. Bella, this is Damien," he pointed to the guy next to him, "Luis," he pointed to the one next to Damien, "and Erik," he pointed to the guy standing in the aisle. They all murmured hellos.

"Hi. This is Edward, my husband. My sisters, Alice and Rosalie, and my brothers, Jasper and Emmett." I pointed to everyone in turn. Then I saw Erik's eyes widen and he finally took his seat. Right next to Rosalie.

"Hey, babe. You're too cute to be sitting by yourself…" Rosalie snorted and turned away from him. Emmett puffed up, like he always does.

"Sorry, man. But last time I checked she wasn't sitting alone. She was sitting with her husband, me." Emmett put his arm possessively around Rose's shoulders and she pecked his cheek. Emmett flexed his huge biceps with his other arm. He even went all the way and kissed his muscles. We all snickered.

"Oh, shoot. My fault, dude." Erik got up and moved three seats away from Rosalie. Emmett flashed him his brilliant smile and we all snickered again.

"Sorry about that, Bella," Lucas whispered to me.

"No, it's okay. My brother and sister know how to take care of themselves." I laughed again.

"Just be sure your friend stays away from Rose," said Alice. She would be crying from how hard she was laughing.

"Yeah," said Jasper. "Let's just say my brother doesn't do good with… _Pests_." We all laughed a little louder.

"You got that right." Edward finally spoke, joining in. "He either screams, or beats their heads in." We all laughed loudly. It was those laughs that make you rock back and forth and you slap your thighs. Well, all of us except Emmett.

"I don't appreciate y'all laughing at me…" Erik crossed his arms and glared at us.

"Trust me sweetie," said Rosalie. "We're not laughing at you." She looked to Emmett who was still glaring at us. "Aw, honey. You know we don't mean it." She tried to stifle her giggles.

"No. My pride is crushed…" Even Emmett would make joking about him a joke. He mocked hurt and grabbed his chest dramatically.

"Aw, guys. Just apologize to Emmett." Rosalie pleaded. We all complied murmuring our apologies.

The movie started then and we all settled into our seats. I was vaguely aware of Edward's arm wrapped around me and Lucas' arm on the armrest. At all the scary, surprising parts I would grab on the Edward's knee and hid my face in his chest.

Only when those really mean military people hit Home Tree and the explosions happened was when I grabbed onto both Edward's knee and Lucas' hand. Edward growled and Emmett's face came up close to my face. I looked over to Lucas nervously and removed my hand from his grip. He chuckled lightly at me and I blushed. Edward took that hand and kissed it, giving Lucas a mean look.

"Stop it," I hissed under my breath. He gave me an innocent/sorry look that made him look like a little boy. I chuckled a little and he kissed me. It was a sweet and passionate kiss. I rolled my eyes at him when he let me loose and it was his turn to chuckle.

The movie went on and I cried so much. It was one of those really nasty, snot-filled cries. Can you blame me? That guy Tsu tey was so good and loyal to his colony. And he just got trown over board that little airplane thing. I was afraid the Jake boy wasn't going to come back just like the other scientist didn't come back. And when he opened his eyes, I hid my face in Edward's chest and cried my eyes out. Edward patted my back and smoothed out my hair, and my sobs slowly decreased. When I looked at the screen, the credits were rolling.

"That's it?" I squealed. I wanted it to go on. What was going to happen to The People now? "They better make a part two," I said stubbornly as I got up to leave with my family. Everyone laughed at me. But I was being totally serious.

"Well," said Lucas awkwardly. We were all standing outside, in front of the movie building. His friends were slowly inching away from us. I heard Edward snicker next to me and I gave him a questioning look.

"That Erik guy got really freaked out…" I looked to see that Erik was already close to one of the cars parked on the curb.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, guys." Lucas moved up to me , but Edward stepped forward.

"Yeah, we'll see you." Edward grabbed my hand and we walked away with the rest of our family. I looked back and waved at Lucas. He waved back enthusiastically and I smiled. Maybe he just really needed a friend. I got in Edward's Volvo. We idled for a long time before I realized we were going to have a big talk. My cell phone rang in my pocket and I answered it quickly.

"Yeah, Alice?"

"_Where are you guys? We're almost home…" _

"Um, just go on. We'll be there a little later?" I phrased it like a question, and Edward nodded.

"_Well okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Click. _

"Edward…"

"Bella…" We both spoke at the same time.

"You go ahead…" I sat patiently as Edward pulled out of the spot and drove slowly. We took the long way home.

"Bella. I don't want you to think that I don't trust you… But what's going on with you and Lucas?" He looked at me and I stared at him in shock.

"That just contradicted what you said, Edward." I was starting to get upset and I felt him doing the same. "You say you trust me yet you think there's something going on between me and Lucas? That doesn't make sense!"

"Just answer the question, Bella…" He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily.

"No, Edward! You don't trust me so I won't answer!"

"I _do _trust you!"

"You have an awesome way of showing it!" I puffed and crossed my arms.

"It's him I don't trust, Bella." His tone softened and I felt the angry tears well in my eyes.

"Well to answer your ridiculous question, there is nothing going on between me and Lucas." I stared at him full on. "He's just a classmate. We hardly have any classes together. Only two!" Edward's head whipped around to look at me.

"Two? Two?" He roared and growled deep in his throat. "There's a class you have with him where I'm not there?"

"Edward! Relax! Nothing is going to happen between us. We only have writing together."

"Like I said Bella, I don't trust him." He shook his head. "I saw Alice's vision." I gasped and felt the betrayal settle into my chest. "Don't blame her. She let it slip by when she saw you walking into the theatre with him. And I don't know how much she told you about the vision, but it doesn't end well…"

"Wow, Edward. So he kisses me!" By this time we were idled in our driveway. "It's not like I asked him to. It's not even like I kissed him back!"

"Exactly why I said I didn't know how much you knew about the vision." His eyes tightened as he looked at me. "You obviously didn't put up much of a fight. And I'm afraid if Alice would have let the vision go on, I would have saw you kiss him back." I got out of the car and slammed the door, stomping my way to the front door. Edward was already there and he grabbed my hand. "Bella, please understand why this is a big deal for me."

"Understand?" I pushed passed him and walked into the house. I knew he would be right at my heels, but I kept walking to the kitchen. "What do you want me to understand, Edward? Can't you just take my word for it?" I turned to look at him. The tears spilled over and I saw pain and hurt flash across Edward's face.

"Bella. Please don't cry. It breaks me…" He reached his hand out to me, but I backed away from him. He flinched as if I'd slapped him.

"You're always so jealous about everything. Can't I just have a friend who's a guy?" Then I sighed, exasperated. "What am I saying? He's not even my friend. I just met him."

"I know, Bella." He moved closer to me and I continued to back away. I didn't want him to touch me and make me forget why I am so mad at him. "I just can't stand to go through this again."

I gaped at him.

"I've seen you in the arms of another man before, Bella. It hurt me too much and I can't bear it if I have to watch it again. I saw it in Alice's vision and that hurt enough."

"The future is subjective. It always changes! There's no guarantee you'll find me sucking face with Lucas. And stop bringing Jacob into this." His name closed up my throat and I felt on the verge of hysterics.

"But Bella…"

"No!" I cut him off. "It will always hurt me how much I hurt you and Jacob when I kissed him and realized I was in love with him. But does that matter now? He's no longer my lover, he's only my friend. The one who I have seen hurt by me too many times to count. You don't think I beat myself up about it every day?" More tears escaped my eyes and I wiped at them angrily.

"The day you find me kissing another girl is the day you can understand what I went through." He turned to walk away, but my screaming cut him off.

"YOU REALLY DON'T THINK I KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH?" My voice echoed around the house and I swear I saw the windows shake a little. "You left me, Edward! I think I understand more than you know!" He shuddered.

"I will never forgive myself for that," he said with his back still facing me. He walked up a couple of stairs before he turned back. "Aren't you coming?" He gestured to the second floor of the house.

"No." I was calmer now, but my voice was still cold. I walked to the front door.

"Where are you going?" The pain was now evident in his voice and it broke my heart. But I had to stay strong. I couldn't let this fight be unresolved.

"Outside. I need some fresh air to calm myself. Then, we'll talk." I slammed the door and walked out to the porch. I sat in the swing and cried into my hands.

Edward and I never fought like that before. I didn't want us to fight, but I couldn't let his speculations arise without me clarifying them. But will this hurt our marriage. We've only been married a couple of weeks, almost a month. I couldn't live if Edward left me again. I think I would just die.

"Are you okay, Bella?" At first, I thought it was Edward speaking to me. I was just about to tell him off when I recognized the voice. My blood ran cold and my heart stopped.

"Jacob?" I peered into the darkness to see my best friend's gleaming smile.

"Hey, Bells. I think we need to talk…"


	6. Lizzy

_big surprises in this chapter. Let me know if y'all like it. Enjoy :) REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!_

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Lizzy

"Jake. What are you doing here?" He walked next to the tree in the front yard, but didn't come any closer. "Come here so I could get a good look at you."

"Um, I really can't…" I gave him a confused look before the front door opened.

"Back away from her, Jacob."

"Leave him alone, Edward! He wants to talk to me, let him." I stood up, but Edward placed me behind him anyway. I banged on his back, but I guess he didn't notice.

"No, Bella. It's okay. I really can't be around you yet…" He laughed lightly and I still stared at him, confused.

"Just wait there. I'll be back in a second." Edward disappeared in a gust of wind and was back before I took a breath. He threw something blue at Jacob and then turned back to face me. I met his eyes and saw the apology there. I smiled at him and he leaned down to touch his lips to mine.

But right before he reached mine, Jacob cleared his throat. I leaned around Edward with an apologetic look and saw Jacob standing under the porch light. He smiled hugely and I returned his smile. His hair was extremely long, reaching his waist, and he looked slightly off balance in his body. He was wearing a pair of Edward's jeans and his feet were bare and dirty. I realized why Jacob couldn't come near me. He had no pants.

"Jacob…" I lunged forward and threw myself into my best friend's arms.

"Hey, Bells. I missed you." His arms wrapped around me tightly and we breathed in each other's scents. When we pulled away he said, "So you're not a bloodsucker yet, I see." His tone was joking and I laughed.

"Yeah, not yet." We laughed again and Edward cleared his throat this time.

"Don't keep her away for too long." Jacob nodded and grabbed my hand. I looked back at my porch to see Edward looking after us without a trace of jealousy or restraint. I smiled at him and he waved before disappearing into the house again.

"Where can we go to talk, Bells?" I looked up at him and smiled, dragging him the same way Alice took me earlier. We walked down onto the beach and I removed my sandals. Jacob reached down to roll up Edward's jeans. We walked along the water for a long time before either of us spoke.

"Jake. What are you doing here?" The realization that he was actually here with me hit me suddenly.

"I had to talk to you. And I heard you and Edward arguing. I think we need to talk about that last part…" I looked away from him and out to the water.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that…" I still didn't look at him and I felt him stop next to me.

"Bella. It's okay." He grabbed my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. "Listen to me. You should never feel bad for me. We loved each other before. There's no denying it. But now neither of us are in love with the other anymore." We both smiled at the realization. But my smile slowly faded.

"You aren't in love with me anymore?" I wasn't upset, but I was surprised. Did he finally imprint?

"I guess you haven't spoken to your sister all night. But she has some news for you…"

"Who? Rosalie?" What could have possibly happened to her that involves Jacob?

"Yeah. We'll go to them after we talk. But as I was saying, you shouldn't feel bad for me anymore. You'll know why…" He smiled and I smiled back. We fell back into step together.

We spoke about everything. I told him about the rest of the wedding after he… left. I told him about my honeymoon, without all the details. He then told me about his huge conflict with the pack after they forced him to leave the wedding. He said he eventually relaxed enough to leave. He's been away from home this whole month, always in his wolf form. That's why his hair was so long and he was so off balance. I laughed at that part. He said he traveled around the country for a long time before he went back to Forks. He spoke to Sam and found out where we were and came to 'win me back' as he so put it. But then he ran into something that he won't tell me about until after I speak to Rose. So I went on to tell him about Dartmouth and Lucas.

"So that's why you two were fighting…" Jacob snickered and I smacked his arm.

"So not funny, Jake." He laughed and we kept walking.

"Well, shouldn't you trust Edward? If he says something's up, you should believe him."

"I guess you're right…" I looked down at my hands and Jacob grabbed one of them. He started pulling me towards the path back to my house and I smiled. "Time to see Rose?"

Jacob laughed. "Yeah, Bells." I cheered and put my sandals back on. We walked up the path and saw Edward waiting for us on the front porch.

"I can't believe you knew before any of us," said Edward. He took my hand and the three of us crossed the street. Alice, Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle were all waiting for us. Everyone was sharing knowing looks.

"I hate it when all of you know something and I don't," I said. Everyone laughed as we walked over to Emmett and Rosalie's house. We all waited on the porch as Esme knocked. The door flew open and Emmett's gleaming smile was as bright as ever.

"Come in," he said in a rush. "Rosalie is in the living room. Jacob," he greeted as they crossed each other. Jacob nodded at him and we entered the house.

It was a small and cozy house. The living room was to the right and the kitchen to the left. The dining room was straight ahead with the stairs going up to the second floor off to the side. It was beautifully furnished, thanks to Alice. She decorated all the houses. When I walked into the living room and saw Rosalie on the couch, I froze. I rubbed my eyes a couple of times before I spoke.

"Rose. Why do you have a child?" She laughed at me. There was a little girl hiding behind her long, blonde hair. I gave her a crazy look and Jacob moved to sit next to Rose. She growled lightly, but let him have a seat. "Okay. You guys hate each other… What's going on?"

"Bella, I think you should sit down." Emmett spoke as he pulled a chair up from the kitchen. I sat and Emmett sat on Rose's other side. I stared at the three of them on the couch and at all the others standing around the living room. _What could possibly be going on? _

"Bella… This is Elizabeth. Our new daughter," said Rose slowly. She got up with the little girl and placed her on my lap. She had wide blue eyes and blonde hair, a shade darker than Rosalie's. She gave me a shy smile, showing me her perfect teeth.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hey, beautiful," I smiled back at her, but then it dawned on me. "Wait a sec. You guys can't have children… How the heck do you guys have a daughter?"

Emmett and Rose laughed. "It's a long story," said Em.

"Well, start explaining. We have all night." They nodded and flew into their story.

"There was a family moving out next door when we finally moved in. They were a young couple and very nice. The first night here, they invited us to their house to get to know each other. We agreed and walked over to their house. We met their daughter, Elizabeth." Rose paused to look at the girl. I gasped.

"Rose! You kidnapped the baby?"

"No, crazy lady! Just listen." I relaxed a little and she continued. "They spoke to us about how they were struggling with the baby and the expensive house. So they were going to move. They said they were happy to have made some friends before they left. We even helped them start packing that night. Janet, the mom, took me aside and asked me a couple questions about Emmett and I. I told her we've been married for a couple of years and we were here with the rest of our family. She asked me if I liked kids and I told her of course, I just couldn't have any of my own. She smiled at me and we continued to pack.

"When we got home from the movies today, we saw that their car was gone. We knew they left and we felt so bad. We walked up to the porch and heard crying. We saw little Elizabeth, here, crying on the lawn chair outside. She had so many bags all around her and we didn't know what to do. I took her into my arms and hugged her as she cried. She calmed down enough to say that her parents left her here. Emmett and I decided to keep her. Inside one of her bags, Janet left me a note. She said they weren't ready to be parents and they gave Elizabeth to us. We couldn't just leave her with nowhere to go. They had no other relatives."

I smiled at Elizabeth, who dozed off in my lap. She was beautiful and she deserved to have a real family. "So, she's a Cullen now?" Emmett and Rosalie smiled with pride.

"We're planning on going to the local agency tomorrow," said Emmett. "She'll be a Cullen by Saturday."

"How old is she?" asked Esme, who took Elizabeth up the stairs to her new room.

"She's two," said Jacob. I gave him a long look.

"Okay, what do you have to do with anything?" He gave me a nervous smile while Rose and Em rolled their eyes. Edward gave a loud guffaw.

"Like I told you before, I came over here to see you. But Blondie and Burley over here found my scent behind their yard. Emmett came out to speak to me and I saw Rosalie on the porch with a little girl. When I locked eyes with her, my whole world fell apart and only she mattered. I imprinted on her." My mouth fell open and the proud, new parents growled in unison. "They explained everything to me while I was still in wolf form. Now, I need to stay here with her. And that's why I said I don't love you like that anymore."

"Wow," I said. "Well, when are you guys going to tell her she has a vampire family and werewolf imprint?"

"When she's old enough to keep a secret, we'll tell her," said Rose. "But that means we'll need a lot of your help, Bella. You're the normal one out of all of us. You can help her be comfortable around us."

I nodded. "I can do that. I am her aunt after all." I smiled at the thought. I was happy for my brother and sister. They have wanted children for so long and now they finally have one. I yawned and everyone laughed at me. "You guys really need to stop laughing at me." They laughed again.

"Okay. I'm taking Bella to bed, everyone. Good night." Everyone chorused their 'good nights' and we walked to the door. I turned back at the last minute to look at Jacob.

"Jake, where are you going to stay?" Everyone was quiet and looked at Jacob.

"You can stay with us if you like...," said Carlisle.

"Thanks, doc. But I think I'll just sleep in the woods like I have been doing for a while now." I shook my head.

"No way. You're staying with us. I know you'll be more comfortable living with someone you actually talk to." He smiled and we both looked at Edward. He nodded with a smile.

"Okay. But I really need a shower and clothes. No offense Edward, but you're a little too skinny for me." He tried to stretch in Edward's jeans.

"Sorry," said Edward as he laughed. "Maybe Emmett's will fit you better." Em disappeared up the steps and came back down with an arm full of jeans, slacks, shirts, and pajamas. Shoes were in his other hand.

"Alice will always buy me more." Alice laughed and nodded.

"I'll even buy you your own wardrobe, Jacob." He nodded, too, and we all groaned. "Shopping this weekend," she sang and skipped out the door with Jasper, Esme, and Carlisle.

The three of us left the house short after. We gave Jacob a towel and sheets and he showered before knocking out in one of the spare rooms. I went into my bedroom and saw Edward reading a book on the bed. I crawled up next to him and kissed his cheek. He smiled and put his arms around me. He gave me a soft kiss on the lips and put his book down, shutting off the light. We snuggled close to each other and I fell asleep, listening to Jacob's loud snoring down the hall.

The next morning, we all played hooky to accompany Emmett and Rosalie to the agency. It was Friday anyway. We wouldn't be missing much.

Edward left a huge plate of eggs and pancakes for the still sleeping Jacob upstairs. We walked out of the house and to the waiting Hummer outside. Alice sat on Jasper's lap and Elizabeth had nowhere to sit.

"Why don't you sit on Aunt Bella's lap Lizzy?" Rose pointed to me in the car and I waved through the open window. The little girl nodded and I opened the door for her, pulling her on my lap. She snuggled into me and gave me another shy smile.

"You're really pretty," she said and covered her mouth quickly. "I'm sorry." Her little voice was so cute. I smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it sweetie. You are going to be a Cullen now." She smiled at that.

"I'm happy. My new mommy and daddy are very nice to me." Emmett and Rose shared a look in the front seat and I smiled at them.

"That's good. We will have lots of fun with you living with us." She smiled and we continued the drive to the agency.

When we arrived, Casey Jones was waiting for us in her office. Jasper, Edward, Alice, and I stayed in the waiting room as the new family entered the office. We waited, and waited, and waited. They took so long. I decided to call and check up on Jacob while we were there.

_"Hey, Bells," _he greeted. _"I just woke up. I'm about to eat my awesome breakfast. Tell Edward thanks." _

"Okay," I laughed. "Did you sleep good?"

_"Awesome. Thanks again, Bella. I'm going to go out looking for a job later." _

"Okay. Just know we don't need you to help pay the bills. We have enough money."

_"I want to Bells. It will make me feel like part of the family." _He laughed.

"Well, okay. My car keys are on the kitchen table and the car is in the garage."

_"Thanks, Bella. I'll talk to you later." _

"Okay. Bye, Jake." I hung up.

Just then, the new family came out of the office with huge smiles on their faces. We all got up as they approached us.

"Say hi to your new niece. Elizabeth Lillian Cullen." We all cooed and Alice and I hugged our new niece. It was going to be awesome having another human around. Even if it was only for a little while. "The paper work will be finalized by tomorrow. Now, let's go. Esme is dying to see her." We nodded and filled back into the car.

The drive home was filled with a comfortable silence. Everyone was exchanging glances and smiles with each other. I guess we were all happy for Emmett and Rosalie. God knows how long they've wanted this. And they will finally be able to be a real family with their new little joy. And they deserved it. Yeah, me and Rose have had difficulties before. But she said herself that we were going to be closer. She respected my decision on being human longer and I respect that she will accept me as one of her own soon enough.

But I never really got to talk to her about her Jake imprinting on Elizabeth. I was pretty sure she wasn't ecstatic about the idea, but I wanted to get her side of it. I had to remind myself to ask her later. But I even got to have my best friend be a part of our family too. That was a plus I never would have expected.

"Esme," Emmett yelled at the house after our short walk over. "Come out to see your new granddaughter!" We all laughed.

Esme came running down the steps of the porch and collided with Emmett. I covered my ears to the sound of boulders crashing together and so did Elizabeth. They laughed and Esme came over to the little cutie standing at my side.

"Hey, Elizabeth." She grabbed her up in a hug.

"Lizzy," she said softly. "No Ewizabeff." She scowled a little and we all laughed.

"I guess she's just like you, Bella," said Edward. "She doesn't like being called by her full name." We all laughed again at the realization.

"Well, Lizzy. You can call me grandma." Lizzy nodded and hugged Esme. She smiled and carried her up the steps and into the house. We all followed and I smelled hot dogs coming from the kitchen.

"Smells good, Mom," I said, smirking a little. She gave me a wide smile.

"I thought you'd be hungry when you got back. I hope hot dogs are okay…" I nodded and followed her into the dinning room with Lizzy still in her arms. She set her down on a chair and I sat next to her. Edward came to give me a kiss.

"We're going for a quick hunt," he whispered in my ear. "We'll be back before you're done eating." I nodded and he kissed me again. He disappeared out the door with Alice and Jasper waving.

"Lizzy, honey," Rose said as she walked into the dinning room with Emmett. "We are going to the store with your aunt and uncles. Aunt Bells will stay here with you." Lizzy looked to me and smiled. At least she already learned my name. Rose kissed her forehead and stepped back.

Emmett stepped up and got on eye level with Liz. "You be a good girl with your aunt and grandma."

"Otay," said Lizzy with a smile. She kissed Emmett's cheek. "Bye daddy. Bye mommy." Their faces glowed with pride and Rose looked like she would cry if she could.

"Bye, Angel." Emmett kissed her forehead and they both left to follow the others.

Esme came in and placed a hot dog in front of me. I thanked her and picked it up, nibbling on the end of it. I looked over at Lizzy to see her hot dog with no bread and cut up in little pieces. She picked them up with her fingers and popped them in her mouth. She saw me looking at her and she gave me a smile. I smiled back. She was too cute!

"Bella," said Esme, poking her head out of the kitchen. "I made extra hot dogs for Jacob. Will he be coming over?"

"He said he would be out for a little while today. If you want, I'll take them to him later."

"That would be terrific." She disappeared into the kitchen again as me and Lizzy finished our lunch.

"What do you want to drink, Liz?" She looked up at me from her chair.

"Um, chocmate miwk!" She clapped her hands in excitement and I nodded at her. I walked into the kitchen and almost smacked into Esme. She was standing with a glass of chocolate milk in one hand and a Sippy cup of the same in the other. I smiled and took them from her.

"Here you go, honey." I placed the cup in front of Liz as Esme took her plate away. She squealed and pulled the cup to her mouth.

"So, what do you want to do?" I asked her when we were both finished.

"Barney!" She yelled. I laughed and picked her up, bringing her to the living room. I sat her next to me on the couch and put Barney on the TV for her. She was completely engrossed and I smiled, contented. Maybe having a little niece around wouldn't be so bad. My eyes started to get heavy and I felt Lizzy's head hit my lap. I sighed and fell asleep.

"Bella, honey. Wake up." Someone was shaking my shoulder and I felt the pressure on my lap lift. My head shot up, thinking Lizzy fell onto the floor. "Relax, Bella. It's just us." I looked up to see Edward shaking me awake.

"Where's Liz?" I looked to my other side to see Emmett with Lizzy in his hands. He smiled at me and walked out the door with her. Rose followed after them, yelling a 'thank you' over her shoulder.

"You want to go to the beach?" asked Edward. I looked out the window to the the sun safely behind the thick clouds. I nodded and he grabbed my hand. We walked out of the house and crossed the street. I saw my car in the driveway and gasped.

"Oh, no. I left Jacob's food back at the house." I turned to go back, but Edward shook his head. He was gone and back in a few seconds with a plate of ten hot dogs. I smiled and slapped his shoulder playfully. "Soon, I'll be able to do the same thing." We laughed and walked into the house.

"Bella! Edward!" yelled Jacob as he came down the stairs.

"Hey, Jake. We brought you food." He smiled and grabbed the plate Edward offered him.

"Thanks, guys. I'm starving." He walked to the dinning room and we followed.

"What's new?" said Edward. We all laughed and I walked to the fridge. I pulled out a bottle of water. I walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a little bag of pretzels. Edward gave me a confused look.

"In case I get hungry," I said with an innocent smile. He nodded and moved to take the items out of my hands. He placed them in a bag he already had on the counter. I looked inside to see a towel and some wrapped plates. "How long will we be at the beach?" I asked.

"Until dark," he said with a smile. "That's why I packed dinner." I smiled and went up the stares to change. I looked at the clock and it said 4 o clock. I guess I fell asleep for a long time.

I pulled out the new, dark blue bikini Alice bought for me and pulled it on. Then, I slipped into jean short-shorts, a white tank top and my sandals. I walked down the stairs and met Edward and Jacob at the door.

"Ready?" Edward asked. I nodded and grabbed his hand.

"Jacob. Are you coming with us?" Not that I minded. Either way would be awesome.

"No. I'm going to go hang with Liz. She needs someone to play with her." I laughed and he smiled. "I'll see you guys when you get back." He opened the door and we all stepped out.

"Wait," I called after Jake, who was already down the street. "How will you eat?"

He laughed. "I'll go to Esme's before I go home. She always has food ready for me." I nodded and he continued down the street with a wave.

I smiled and turned to Edward. He kissed me softly on the lips and grabbed my hand. He led me down the path to the beach and spread out the blanket. We sat down and Edward removed my tank top. I smiled at him and took off his shirt. We laid down, snuggling, and Edward began to hum.

"What's that you're singing?" I asked.

"Just a new song I've had in my head today. I can't wait to write it tomorrow." I smiled.

"Who is this one for?" I asked teasingly.

He smiled and turned to lay on his side facing me. I turned, too, and waited patiently for him to answer my question. He moved his hand to stroke my arm, causing goose bumps to rise. I smiled at him and he looked deep into my eyes. We stayed that way for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Elizabeth."

"Huh?"

"I wrote a new song for Lizzy." I gave him the smile he loves and he smiled back at me. "Elizabeth was my mother's name…"

I gasped. "I completely forgot." He nodded. "Wow. That must bring many memories for you."

"It does. She reminds me so much of my mother. Or what I remember of her, rather." He sighed and laid on his back.

"You miss her, don't you?"

"Of course I do. She was the only woman I loved in my human life." He continued to look up into the sky. "I miss her, but I know she is always watching me. That's why I wanted to apologize about yesterday. My mother wouldn't have wanted me to yell at my wife that way." A smile spread across his face and he glanced at me.

"Well, your mom is very disappointed in you, Edward." I wagged my finger at him and he turned to face me again, his eyes sparkling.

"Oh, really?" he said and I nodded. He laughed lightly before I felt him grab me and pick me up. He started running at human pace.

"Edward!" I screamed when I realized what he was doing. "Stop! Put me down!"

"Not a chance," he said through his chuckles and I braced myself.

We both fell into the water with a huge splash. I came up for air and heard Edward laughing next to me. I turned and smacked his bare chest. He laughed and grabbed me in his arms again.

The rest of the afternoon was very sweet. After we finished our splashing war, we walked back to our spot in the sand and Edward built a fire. As our clothes dried and the sky got darker, I ate my dinner. We stood talking for a long time in front of the fire. And finally, we decided to head back to the house at 11 o clock. We sneaked up the stairs, as not to wake Jake up, and hoped in the shower together. We washed up and went to bed.

"I love you," Edward whispered. And that was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep. That and snoring from down the hall.


	7. You Can't See Me

_hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! __If you read my stories, Unfortunate Love and My Escape, you would know that I am starting a new... review game? whatever you want to call it. _

_10 reviews= 6pg long update  
20 reviews= 7pg long update  
30+ reviews= 8pg long update_

_Thanks guys! R&R! And Enjoy! :)_

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You Can't See Me

Monday morning came sooner than I thought it would.

Throughout the weekend, we all hung around Lizzy and she began warming up to each of us. She loved to go shopping with her Auntie Ali, she loved listening to the stories told by her Uncle Jazzy and she loved to play dress up with Jakey. I always laughed at his new nickname. Me and Edward? She loved coming to our house. She always played video games with her Uncle Ed and loved to watch her Auntie B cook. She also loved going to her grandparents' house, watching Grandma garden outside and Grandpa reading his huge books. But she was mostly happy when she was with her mommy and daddy. Emmett teaching her how to play football and Rose teaching her how to behave like a lady.

To say she was happy with our family was an understatement. That's why on Monday, she was kicking and screaming not to go to school.

"No!" she screamed as I dragged her out of her new house. Rose or Emmett would do it, but they are terrified of hurting her. They still have to get used to it.

"C'mon, Liz," yelled Jacob from the sidewalk. "The bus will be coming any minute. You don't want to be late for your first day of preschool."

"Daddy!" she whined. He quickly came to her side. She already knew how to get her way with Emmett. All she had to do was whine, pout and cry. He was such a softie. "I no wanna go. No one gonna like me…"

"Of course they will, Princess. You are too cute for no one not to like." Emmett got down on her level and she smiled up at him.

"You think so?" He nodded and she hugged him tightly. He laughed.

"Okay. We're going to put you on the bus and then we will leave to school. Mommy and me will pick you up." He kissed her on the cheek and she nodded.

Right then, the bus came around the corner and in front of Rose's house. The bus driver's eyes bulged out when he caught sight of Esme, Alice, Rosalie and me. We all laughed. Then the guys, including Carlisle, came forward and put their arms around us. We laughed again. We took turns kissing and hugging Lizzy goodbye before Rose took her onto the bus.

As soon as she came off and the bus drove away, with all of us waving enthusiastically, we loaded up our cars and headed to school. I wasn't really looking forward to going back to class. It was a full day. And that meant I would have to see Lucas again. I wasn't too worried about that though. I had yet another person to look after me.

Jacob decided to attend school with us as a freshman. We got his papers (from J. Jenks) and he even has a couple of classes with us. He's in my 2nd period Government class and my 3rd period Trigonometry class. He was taking engineering, just like Rosalie as his major. By the time I was finished mind rambling, we were already pulled into the school parking lot. We got out and not two second later, I spotted Lucas staring at me from across the lot.

"Is that him?" Jacob whispered in my ear. I nodded slowly. He laughed a little and I tuned on him.

"So not funny, Jake." I pouted at him as we walked to first period. "It's not funny that a boy is so infatuated with you, he won't take a hint."

"Sound a little like the old me," and we both laughed at the realization. Everyone walked to their classes and I stood close to Edward and Rose on our way to Chemistry. I didn't want to risk bumping into Lucas. But luck wasn't with me, whoever I was standing next to.

"Hey, Bella." I waved at him and walked faster as Edward growled. "Wait up!" he called and we just walked faster. I looked back to see him held back by a teacher. I sighed in relief. Maybe there was a little luck with me today.

Before I knew it, it was time for Trig. I knew I would see Lucas, but I was protected by all my family. We walked into class and took our regular seats along the back of the room. Jacob noticed he had nowhere to sit and there was only one more seat left. It was the seat right in front of me, right next to Lucas. He winked at me before he sat down and started speaking to Lucas. I strained my hearing and heard them talking to each other.

"Hey, man. I'm Jacob." He held out his hand to Lucas. Before he took it, he looked over Jacob and his eyes bulged at his size. I snickered a little and Jacob cracked a smile.

"Lucas. You hang with the Cullens right?" Jacob smiled wider.

"Yup. You know that girl, Bella?" I tried to write as I listened. Lucas nodded. "Well, me and her go way back. Like diaper times, and we were even romantic for a while…" he trailed off.

By then, all of us were laughing quietly, even Edward. We tried to keep quiet. Lucas' eyes bulged out again as he sneaked a peek at me. I pretended to be working again.

"Wow. Why did you guys fall out?" Jacob shook his head a little.

"I found my soul mate, and Bella found hers. I was there at her wedding. It was so beautiful." Jacob was stretching the truth a little, but we couldn't keep from laughing again.

"Oh." They were quiet for a little. "Do you think I have a chance with her?" Everyone was quiet and glared at Lucas. I just stared in shock, with Jacob. How could he even think that if he knew I was married? Gosh.

"Um, first, she's married, dude." Jacob gave him a crazy look. "Second, you don't want to get mixed up with her husband…." Jake trailed off again.

"Why not?" Lucas seemed genuinely interested. He even had a flash of suspicion in his eyes.

"Let's just say… he doesn't do well with blood." Edward kicked Jacob's chair. He just turned back to his notebook. Lucas stared at him for a second before looking at each of us. Then, he, too, went back to his work.

The rest of the period was uneventful, and so was lunch. Lucas ate with his friends and I ate with Jacob. Although the rest of our family was there with trays. They just let Jacob pick off their plates.

Spanish was uneventful as well. But Writing was the total opposite. Lucas didn't show up to class. As a matter of fact, I saw him walking to a car after lunch. I tried to see who was in it, but they drove off to quickly for me to see. I wrote the day's assignment about a misunderstood boy. One who was always trying, but never succeeding. I got an A on that paper.

Our ride home was silent, but comfortable. Rosalie drove in the opposite direction with Emmett to pick up Lizzy. Edward, Jacob and I went into the house. We ate the lunch Esme left for us and Edward said he needed to hunt. He was going with Jasper and said he would be back by six. When he left, I went upstairs to see what Jake was doing.

"Hey, Bells. I need another person to play on my team…" He walked out of his room with his headset on and two remote controls.

I laughed. "Sure, I'll play." I was pretty good at video games, and after I was in my headset, we worked on creaming the other team.

**LPOV (oh man) **

"What do you mean you won't do it?" Drew was obviously mad, but I couldn't do what he wanted me to do. It was too dangerous and I knew I could get hurt. I wasn't like him or Nancy.

"I won't do it," I repeated. "You know for a fact I could get hurt in less than a second. Why would you put me through that?"

"Because I know you won't get hurt." Drew continued to pace in front of my cot/bed in the corner of the huge room. The only other thing in the room was a refrigerator and a small television set.

"How are you so sure?" I gave him a glare and he snapped at me.

"Boys! Relax!" Nancy walked into the room wearing her running clothes. "They are leaving their house in a little while. We need to hurry if we are going to do this…" She trailed off, noticing I wasn't dressed to leave yet. "What's going on here?" she motioned to me as she spoke to Drew.

"He won't do it," he repeated. I nodded smugly.

"Nothing will happen," she said to me. "We've been over this already. I've been working overtime to perfect this day. I can cover your smell now."

My eyes bulged. I guess that did make it a little better. "But what if they find me? You'll be three miles out. How will you get to me in time?"

"They won't find you. I can cover up everything now. Even the sounds you make when you walk." Nancy put her hand on my shoulder. I leaned into her and nodded my head. I felt them both smile and I looked up. I stared at their faces and willed them to wipe their smirks off.

"Let's go," I said after I dressed in comfortable running clothes. Drew was staying behind, he was supposed to protect our place. Nancy and I walked out into the forest behind the old, abandoned house we stayed in. It was only one story and we knocked down all the walls to make a giant room. Only the bathroom was still intact.

"Hop on," Nancy said. I noticed we were already at the side of the road, still hidden by the trees. I did as she said and climbed onto her back. She took off, going deeper into the forest Oh, I'm sorry. Did I forget to tell you? Drew and Nancy are both vampires. I live with them, because they are vegetarians. Drew had tanned skin and black hair, spiking up in every direction, with a body full of huge muscles. Only he was a little short, only a couple inches taller than me. He was changed in the 1900s when he was 21. He lived in Puerto Rico at the time.

He met Nancy when he traveled to New Hampshire. They were mates, of course. Nancy had long, bright red hair, with a body all the guys her age would die for. She was changed in the 1800s when she was only 18. And she had a really special power.

"This is where I leave you," said Nancy as she left me at a clearing. "Stay close to the trees in case you need to run." Then she got into her signature stance.

She stood with her feet planted firmly on the ground. Her head was bent down, looking at my feet. She outstretched her hands and closed her eyes. Slowly, she moved her hands up, gesturing to my body. She was done in a matter of seconds. I looked down at myself and smiled. I couldn't see my hands, or my feet, or the rest of my body. She really was working overtime, she had gotten so much better.

"Now I can't hear you or see you, but listen to me carefully. I don't know what kind of powers this coven has so you must be careful. Even if you talk or move, they won't be able to hear it. They won't see you either, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious. I will be three miles out, by the road we stopped at before. That is the direction you should run in if anything bad happens." She sniffed deeply. "I can't even smell your scent. It disappeared, even your trail. This is terrific. Now we will be unstoppable. They will be coming in through those trees in 10 minutes. After you find out what you must, leave immediately. I'll see you soon." Then she walked off.

Yes, Nancy's power was invisibility. For many years, she could only turn herself invisible. Then, she upgraded to making people she touched invisible. She continued working on it until she learned how to turn others invisible without touching them. Then recently, she learned how to cover up scents, sounds, and trails. Amazing, wasn't she.

After, 10 minutes, they walked into the clearing as Nancy said. They were walking and laughing together. They thought they were all high and mighty… Well, when they proved to me I was correct in my assumption about them, I knew we could eliminate them. Just as I finished that thought, a heard of deer walked into the clearing, oblivious to the others.

They both positioned themselves in hunter stances. Then they lunged, killing the entire heard. My eyes widened. Wow, they were good. Not even Nancy and Drew could kill an entire heard in one shot. These hunters jumped from deer to deer, biting each one quickly. The deer would fall unconscious until they were all down.

"Nice, Jazz!" I heard the other say. They high fived each other.

"Same to you, Edward." I grumbled at the name. Why did he have to have the girl I've been waiting for. I hated him.

Both settled down to drink from the deer and I knew my assumption was correct. The Cullens were vampires and they had Bella. I was smug.

I was about to turn and leave as Nancy ordered, but Jasper's head shot up. He looked over in my direction and narrowed his eyes. He stood up slowly, facing my general direction and growling loudly.

"What's wrong, Jazz?" He didn't even answer Edward before he, too, was crouched in my direction. I gulped and started to move backwards slowly. Jasper lunged forward, obviously thinking he could catch something he couldn't see. Edward grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. "We need more time to think it over before we react. Let's go warn the others." Then they left the clearing.

I let out a big gust of air and walked in the direction of the road. It took me thirty minutes and my super fast running, for a human, to reach Nancy. Even then, I needed to find a way to catch her attention so she could lift her spell. I looked around and saw a rock big enough to make Nancy notice there was someone there. I picked it up and saw it disappear in contact with me. I snickered a little at the face Nancy would make. I threw the rock right at her forehead and it hit her with a small _thunk!_

She whipped her entire body around. She was crouched low in her hunter's stance. Her hair was blowing wildly behind her, looking like flames, and her eyes turned black even though she hunted that morning. She growled lowly. When she heard nothing, she slowly disappeared from sight turning invisible. I laughed a little. _Lucas? _She asked.

_Yup _I said. When Nancy was invisible, she could communicate with anything she turned invisible. Only she never spoke. We communicated with our minds.

She sighed and made herself visible again. "You scared the crap out of me, Lucas." Her eyes were back to normal and she smiled a little. The she went back into her stance and moved her hands in the opposite direction. I slowly appeared again. "What did you find out?"

"They are vampires," I stated simply. "Only Jasper and Edward were out hunting, but it still proved that all of them are vampires."

"And you still think Bella is not a vampire?" She stared at me with that look that said _I know you like her, but this is business_.

"Positive. She's not cold, or has golden eyes like the rest of them…" I trailed off when Nancy gave me a quizzical look. We had already started walking back to our house.

"It could be her power…" I shook my head even before she finished.

"I know she isn't. I just have a feeling." Nancy nodded and I scrambled onto her back to quicken our journey.

I repeated the same news to Drew and he dismissed me, saying he needed to speak with Nancy about the plans. I knew that they wanted to eliminate the Cullens, but would that be such a good idea? That meant I would have to hurt Bella in the process. I don't know what to do. I fell asleep quickly, knowing I had school in the morning.

**Back to BPOV**

"That was awesome, Jake!" I gave him a huge hug. "We are officially the best." We had won the tournament in the video game and we were celebrating by having a snack in the dinig room. The sun was already down and we were waiting for Edward to come home. Then the door burst open and Edward ran in.

"Bella! Jacob! We need to get to the big house." He grabbed my hand and I grabbed Jacob's. We walked across the street to the big house where everyone was already waiting. Jasper was standing rigidly at the corner of the room.

"What's going on?" Jacob and I asked at the same time. Everyone was in alarmed states and Jacob and I were beyond confused. I looked around anxiously to find a little someone. I didn't know if Llizzy should be here or not, but her parents were here.

"She's upstairs," said Jasper, obviously feeling my discomfort. I nodded my head and went to sit next to Alice. She grabbed my hands and I looked at her worried face. She smiled weakly and then, Jasper and Edward called our attention.

"We went hunting, as you all know, in the clearing a couple of miles away from here," Jasper began. He looked tense and maybe a little mad. "When we sat down to drink, I felt someone's emotions stirring behind us. I didn't know who it was or what it wanted. So when I looked, I didn't see anything. I couldn't hear anything, and I couldn't even smell a scent." Jasper shooko his head. He was frustrated.

"I saw Jasper get into his crouch, Edward continued, "so I asked what was wrong. He replayed the whole thing in his mind for me to see and I gasped. You know I don't pay attention to voices in my head while I'm hunting, so I didn't notice anything. But I also got in a crouch and looked in the direction Jasper was looking in. I couldn't see, hear or smell anything either. But I knew there was someone there. I could hear their thoughts. _The Cullens are vampires and they have Bella, _was the last thing I heard."

Everyone gasped and looked at me. "Who could it be?" I wondered out loud.

"I had a vision," Alice spoke up. "I didn't understand it, but I knew something didn't feel right. I had a vision of a plan being stirred up about us, but when I tried looking more into it, I got a major headache, as if someone put up an invisible wall or something. I couldn't see anything after that. I only remember seeing," she was cut off by Edward's gasp.

"I had a feeling," he said menacingly. "It was Lucas. That's who Alice saw in her vision. Along with two other vampires we don't know. I knew he smelled wrong, he has their scent all over him."

I shook my head repeatedly, not willing to believe this. Lucas was after my family and he had backup.

"Don't worry, Bella," said Rosalie. She leaned over Alice to touch my hand.

"We won't let anything happen to you," said Emmett. He ruffled my hair.

I could hardly hear them, though. I was frozen in shock staring into Edward's eyes. I couldn't loose him. I was dreading the day the Volturi would return. I would have never guessed there was danger closer to us.

"And plus," added Esme.

"We have a secret weapon…" Carlisle said.

"Yeah, Bells. They won't see me coming." Jacob flexed his muscles and I smiled slightly. I still didn't move my eyes from Edward's face.


	8. The Eye of the Storm

_Hello everyone! just a quick note. _

_All three of my stories, My Escape, A Little Longer, And Unfortunate Love, will all be being updated with the same name. The Eye of the Storm. _

_Why? These are the chapters that set up the big drama that will begin. _

_ALSO, my chapters will now be a little shorter. This is a bittersweet thing. Bitter because you will have less to read. But sweet, because I will update quicker. And so it will be spaced out a little more. And this goes for all of my stories. _

_ALSO, school is starting soon so I don't know how often I will be updating. But i will try my hardest. _

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

The Eye of the Storm

We made a plan last night. All we had to do was stick to it and everything would be okay. Last night was magical for me. Edward and I returned home to have 'alone time'. We were just so worked up about Lucas, we needed each others' company. I knew Jacob had a ear full of us.

But this morning, the weirdest thing happened. I woke up with a very bad stomach feeling. I hurried to the bathroom and emptied my stomach multiple times. Edward was there, holding my hair back.

"Edward. What's happening?" We were both sitting on our bed. He looked at me with concern before his eyes turned wide. "Edward?" I waved my hand in front of his face and froze with a movement in my stomach. I gasped and my hand flew to the site. I felt movement again and my eyes widened as well. I tried doing the math in my head, when was my last period? Oh no. This cannot be happening. "Carlisle!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I knew he would hear me and so would everyone else.

Jacob was there first. He took in the image of us on the bed, my hand to my stomach and Edward frozen in shock, his eyes widened as well. "Holy sh-"

"What's going on?" Carlisle entered the room, cutting Jacob off. He moved towards us slowly. "Bella… What's wrong?" I was frozen as well.

"Can vampires go into shock?" I asked dumbly. I looked over at Edward and so did Carlisle.

"Has he been harmed?" I shook my head. He nodded and moved to me.

"I think I'm pregnant." Carlisle gasped and so did everyone else who was standing in the doorway. Alice was crying softly into Jasper's shoulder. "Alice? Why are you crying?"

"You disappeared, Bella. I didn't know what it meant…" She continued to sob and Lizzy gave her a quizzical look.

"What's wrong Auntie B?" I smiled at her weakly.

"I'm just a little sick, sweetie." She nodded and walked to Jacob's waiting arms.

"When was your last menstrual cycle?" Carlisle was checking my stomach with his cold fingers.

"Three weeks before the first day of school." He nodded and turned to order Esme to get something. I didn't hear, something was moving in me again. "Carlisle? I swear something just moved in me right now!"

That seemed to take Edward out of his revere. His head snapped towards me and then to Carlisle. "Is it possible?"

"I think so, son. I assume you haven't been using protection the past couple of times…" I shook my head. "It's most likely possible then. What other explanation do we have?"

"I don't know!" Edward stood up in a rage. "The stomach flu, a bug, anything but a little monster inside her!" I gasped. Edward looked over at me.

"Is that what you think this is, Edward?" Tears formed in my eyes. "This is our child, not a monster." Edward ran his hands through his hair.

"If anything begins to happen to you, it's gone." I nodded and he enveloped me in a hug. I sighed in relief.

"I think it's important for you to go to school today, since the rest of us can't," said Jasper. "It's sunny today, but we still need to pull through with our plan." I nodded.

"Are you sure you feel fine?" Carlisle asked.

"For now, yes. I think I'll be fine with Jacob. And maybe I should play it safe, only eating a minimum." Everyone nodded. I showered and changed quickly. Jacob and Edward were waiting for me downstairs, everyone had already left. It was decided Lizzy and I would not leave our houses without an escort. I thought it was ridiculous, but I had no say. And neither did Lizzy since she had no idea what was going on. They flanked me on either side and took us to my Camry.

"Bye, love. If anything goes wrong, call for Jacob." I nodded and he kissed me. Then he leaned down and kissed my stomach. "And Jacob. You keep an eye and ear out for her."

"You got it, boss!" He saluted and got into the drivers' seat. I couldn't help but chuckle. Then the movement started in my womb again.

"Edward!" I gasped. I placed his hands on my stomach and his face broke into one with pure awe. He smiled at me and kissed me one more time.

We needed to drop Lizzy in her bus before we left, so we parked the car in front of Rose's house and went inside.

"Lizz!" called Jacob. "Time to go!" She came down the stairs with Emmett and Rosalie.

"You behave, okay now, pumpkin." Rose hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Don't let the boys talk to you!" Emmett kissed her as we laughed.

"Eww, daddy. Boys are yucky." She giggled a little and grabbed Jacob's hand.

"That 'a girl." We said bye and walked out onto the sidewalk. I felt vibrating in my pocket and pulled out a small, silver phone. Edward must have slipped it in when I wasn't paying attention. It was a text from Edward.

_I love you. _

I smiled, typing a quick response. Then, Lizzy's bus came around the corner and she began to say her goodbyes to Jacob.

"Take care, munchkin." She laughed and hugged him. She grabbed my hand and I walked her onto the bus.

"Good morning, ladies." I smiled at the bus driver and took Lizzy to an empty seat. I buckled her in and kissed her cheek.

"Bye, sweet pea."

"Bye, Auntie B. Feel better."

We loaded up in my car. The drive to school was spent in a comfortable silence. Jacob kept glancing at me.

"I'm not going to combust, Jake." We both laughed and arrived at school. As always, it took less than two minutes for me to spot Lucas. His moss green eyes locked with mine and a smirk adorned his mouth. I wanted to slap that smirk right off him and watch as-

"Bella!" Jake hissed. "Relax. It's not good for you." I nodded and we linked arms, walking to class. Chemistry was boring without Edward and Rose. Government was the same, at least I had Jake there. I was just so anxious for Trig that I couldn't contain myself. Lucas had tried his best to talk to me all day in the hallways, but Jacob kept showing up.

I sat in my regular seat and Jacob took Edward's. To my very annoyance, Lucas took Alice's seat on the other side of me.

"Hey, Bella," he whispered in my ear. I shivered slightly, but gave him my signature death glare. I didn't have to look to know Jacob was giving his the same look.

"Back off, dude." It came out almost as a growl and Jake was shaking.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you took Edward's place as her husband." Lucas scoffed.

"I didn't know you took Alice's place…" I laughed with Jacob and the teacher started his lecture. When the bell rang, Lucas followed us to lunch, though he sat with his friends. About half an hour later, he came over to our table and took a seat.

"So where are the other Cullens?" He had a knowing look I wanted to punch off.

"None ya," said Jacob, stuffing his face with a cheeseburger.

"Well, can you blame me for asking?"

"Go away, Lucas. You have no business here." He gaped at me, but left the table quickly.

At the end of lunch, Jacob had to use the bathroom. I waited outside the boy's room impatiently until he finished up. He was to escort me to every class. I got another text from Edward.

_I hope everything is going well. I miss you. _

I smiled, but didn't get a chance to respond. I was interrupted by a very obnoxious and annoying voice.

"I guess you're never really apart from his, huh?" I gasped, dropped my phone and turned to see Lucas standing very close to me.

"What do you want Lucas?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I know your secret…" I swallowed quite loudly, to my dismay, but stood my ground. He stepped closer to me until his face was millimeters from mine. "Why would you put yourself in danger like that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about." He smirked. "Living with a bunch of vampires is a little scary, don't you think?"

"You should know, right?" His eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, I know all about your little posy. But I just have one suggestion for you," I smirked back sat him. "Stay away from me and my family. We are too powerful for you."

"Fiesty, I like it." Then he grabbed my head and kissed me passionately. I thrashed and tried to push him away from me. He was ripped away from me and thrown into the lockers. Jacob threw a punch into his face and gut before grabbing my hand.

"We need to get out of here." He pulled me into the parking lot and into my car. "Phone," he said, starting the car and holding his other hand out. I handed him the cell phone and he dialed a number. "Edward… Yeah, and it's not good… We need to converse again… I don't know what they'll do. They might be mad and come after us… Yeah, we'll pick her up, too. Bye."

"We're picking up Lizz?" He nodded and sped towards her school.

"We're going home. Taking extra precautions against this other coven." I nodded and ran into Lizzy's school. The principal called her out of class and I strapped her into my car.

"What's going on, Auntie B?" I looked at Jacob and he nodded.

"I think it's time we tell you something…"

**LPOV**

That Jacob was so going to pay for that. I didn't know his involvement with the Cullens, but I would find out. I picked myself off of the floor and pulled out my cell phone. Dialing Nancy's number, I spoke quickly.

"I'm ready," I said.

"Good. Get home as quick as you can." I hung up.

The Cullens wouldn't be able to mess with me anymore.

I got to my house and Nance was already waiting there for me. "Drew is out hunting. We're going to have to do this without him." I nodded.

I laid down on the metal table in the middle of the room. I already picked out clothes and laid them on my bed. She was supposed to change me when she was finished. I took a couple of deep breaths.

"Just relax, Lucas. I have a good feeling about this…" Her lips were very close to my ear. She moved down to my neck and kissed my neck. "You will be a great addition to this family, my son."

Then, we both took a deep breath before her teeth sunk into my skin.


	9. Reason

Reason

"So it's a secret?" She asked for the millionth time. Everyone sighed together.

"Yeah, sweet pea. It is a secret. You can't tell anyone or we could all be in danger," I responded. She stared off into space for a long while. Everyone held their breath…

"This is so cool! I can't believe you guys are super strong, super fast, vampires!" She laughed and clapped her hands. My face broke out in a grin and the tension lessened in the room. I say lessened because we still had other things to discuss.

"Okay, so now that Lizzy knows, what are we going to do about this other coven?" Jacob asked. He was the most paranoid, always caring about everyone else besides himself. I put my hand to my stomach. I would protect my child against this coven no matter how human I was.

"Lizzy and Bella need to most protection," said Edward. "No one touches them."

"We understand that, son… But we need to decide on how we will react towards them." Carlisle and Esme were probably the only calm ones here.

"I say we attack them before they attack us," said Emmett. Jasper, and Jacob nodded in agreement.

"I can even call my pack to come stay over here for a while," added Jake. "They'll be able to lend an extra hand for a couple of days.

Edward shook his head. "We can't attack them."

"Edward's right," said Alice. "How are we supposed to take down a coven who hasn't posed a threat to us yet?"

"That's right. You all know I am highly opposed to that." Carlisle looked each of us in the eye. "We should just lay low for a while."

"I agree," said Esme. "We should all come to stay in the big house together. It would be better if we all stay together, and we will not leave the house except for groceries and hunting trips. Even then, we can't be alone."

"Travel in groups of at least three," said Jasper. "Then we can be even numbered…" Always thinking like a soldier.

"Well we really can travel in twos," said Rosalie. "You did say there are only two of them. Lucas is still just a human. We can take him down easy enough."

"Wait, wait," I said. "Don't I get a say in this?"

Everyone looked at me for three seconds before saying 'no' together. I pouted and sat next to Edward. He put his arm around me and kissed my head.

"We keep to this plan until after Bella's pregnancy." Carlisle sent me a small smile. "We can only handle one crisis at a time." I nodded.

"Carlisle!" yelled Jasper. "Look!" He pointed at my face and my hands flew up to my cheeks. I did feel a little weak, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

Edward gasped and put his hands on my cheeks. His eyes roamed over my face and moved his hands to my neck. "Carlisle, this isn't good." His voice sounded exasperated.

"What?" I asked. Alice pulled a mirror in front of my face and Edward moved his hands. I gasped at what I saw.

My cheeks were worn into my face, creating two big craters. My neck looked longer and strained. The veins popped out and were more prominent. My eyes had a sick looking glaze in them and the veins were more prominent there too. My entire face was sickly pale and my lips lost all of its color.

"What's going on?" I whispered in awe. I touched my cheek again.

"It's the fetus, Carlisle. This happened right before our eyes." I looked down at my stomach and noticed it was noticeably bigger.

"The more it grows, the weaker she gets…" Carlisle said before disappearing and returning with a chart and measuring tape. He measured me quickly, making notes on the chart.

"Are we going to be okay?" I asked. Edward looked me in the eyes.

"The fetus is growing considerably fast. We need to keep an eye on you." Edward kissed my forehead and cheek. "How long, Carlisle?"

"One month," Alice answered before Carlisle got the chance. We all looked at her. "I start seeing everyone blurry when they are around someone in one month. I'm guessing that's the fetus."

"But why would you see them burry?" I asked.

"I can't see you now, Bella," she responded. "But when I search for you in the future, I can see you crystal clear." She shared a look with Edward that I pretended not to see. "I probably can't see the fetus because it's a hybrid. Like Jacob."

I nodded, understanding. She quickly moved to my side and took my hand.

"Everything is going to be fine. I know it." I smiled and she hugged me softly.

After being measured and chucking up my lunch, we all sat in the living room again. Everyone stared at me as if I'd combust. It was a little annoying, but I felt too bad to say anything.

Alice gasped suddenly and had her far away look again. Jasper ran to her and kneeled in front of her legs. He grabbed her face, trying to make her look at him. Everyone kept their distance.

"Alice! What is it? What did you see?" Her eyes focused again, but her horror-filled face never faltered.

"Jasper was right," she spoke to all of us. "We need to travel in threes."

"But Lucas is still human. We really don't need to take a lot of precautions with him," explained Emmett. Everyone, except Edward, nodded in agreement. I looked at my husband with a questioning look.

"I know," Alice continued. "But he isn't human anymore."

**LPOV**

Burning. That was all that consumed my mind. I screamed again as another wave of heat flashed through my body. Scorching as I was, I got a glimmer of someone who was talking to me.

"Just hang in there. One more day." I think I nodded my head, but I couldn't tell.

I waited. And waited. I controlled my screaming, seeing as it would do me no good. Finally, the fire started to diminish from my fingers. It was slowly at first, gradually heating up the fire at my heart. I clawed at it, screaming and fighting for what seemed like forever. I gave one last scream and closed my eyes, lying down on the table, finally relaxed. I took a deep breath and tasted the room around me. My eyes flew open again and I smiled.

"Wow," I breathed. I was surprised that my voice even changed so much.

"It went perfectly…," mused Nancy. Drew stood next to her, a smirk adorning his face. I quickly got up, reveling in the speed and strength I had. They both came over to me and hugged me.

"I bet he's thirsty…," said Drew. Nancy nodded and motioned for me to follow her out. We walked to the door slowly and I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I was noticeably taller and leaner. My skin was as white as snow. My brown hair was shinier, and slightly longer as well. I was wearing my washed jeans and grey shirt. The only thing that contrasted everything else was my bright red eyes. It scared me at first, but I noticed it was a sign of what I wanted, the person I had become. Finally a vampire.

Nancy and I stopped at the edge of the woods. She looked over at me and I noticed her black eyes analyzing me. She was pleased, I could tell. She smiled and took off into the forest. It wasn't hard to follow her scent and catch up.

"You drink from no humans, understand?" She spoke quickly and almost inaudibly. But I was ecstatic that I caught every word.

"You got it," I stated simply and we both paused in a small clearing.

"Let your senses take over you," Nancy continued. "Breath the air, taste your surroundings. Listen and smell for what it is you want. Then go after it."

I closed my eyes and followed her instructions. It wasn't long before I smelled what I wanted. My throat burned widely. But I stood my ground, waiting for Nancy to give the go ahead. There were three of them, two sitting by the trees and one getting water at the small river nearby. I took in another deep breath and listened in to their heartbeats, rich and enticing.

"Go," I heard whispered through the wind. That's all I needed.

I took off in the direction of my prey. I remembered everything Drew and Nancy told me about hunting. I put all of these skills to use and sunk my teeth into my first prey's neck. He screamed out in pain before limply falling in my hands. I dried him neatly before moving onto my other two. They fought me together, thinking they had a chance. It wasn't long before both were lying at my feet, drained of blood.

"Impressive," I heard from the tree line. I looked over and saw Nancy leaning against one of the many trees surrounding the clearing. She smiled at me.

"I'm glad you think so." I'll admit it. I was a little cocky at what I just did.

"I can't believe you took down three massive lions in less than 20 seconds. And that's without one drop of blood on you." She shook her head as if she still didn't believe it. "There really is something special about you…"

"I think it's all the talking you both did to me when I was human. It really came in handy," I said.  
"You're right." I noticed her eyes were already back to their golden color. "Didn't take you as long as I did, I see."

She chuckled. "I guess you didn't notice you were standing, opening your senses for more than two minutes. Gave me enough time to hunt and return. But you were still standing there." I laughed with her this time.

"Trust me it won't take me as long next time." She nodded and became serious.

"Remember why you were made, Lucas?"

I got serious, too, seeing where she was going with this. My face broke out in an evil grimace just thinking of the reason… I knew it was my duty. And with all the control I could muster without running off in that second, I hissed the sentence I would never forget.

"To end the Cullen clan."


	10. Fresh Meat

_I'm going to be updating all my stories around this time :)_

* * *

__Fresh Meat

It's what we've been calling moving day. All of us were moving into the big house today to carry out with the plan we made. To say that the family was on edge was an understatement and things were just about to get worse with the lot of us being under the same roof.

There were still many other things we had to do before fully moving in. Esme and Rose were working hard on fixing up the small guest room for Lizzy right next to Rose and Emmett's room. Carlisle was working on fixing his office as a hospital room for my delivery. He, along with Edward, has immersed himself in research and methods that might help make my pregnancy and delivery much smoother.

Lastly, Edward and I had to fix up and restock our house to accommodate the pack coming to New Hampshire. Jacob had gotten in touch with Sam to explain the situation and request that a few pack members come to help out. Sam himself was unable to come, but he assured us that he would send us four special people. Jake wouldn't say who they were, and I'm not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

All of the guys helped out in building a couple of guest rooms in our basement and making the living room into a spare room. Edward put a padlock on our door, not that it would stop the wolves, but it would send them the message to keep out. They probably didn't want to go in there anywhere knowing what went on in there. Jacob and Emmett went to pick up the wolves after school and we were all waiting for their arrival.

"Hey, Esme." I walked, more like wobbled, into the kitchen. "Do you need any help with dinner?"

She gave me a warm smile. "No, Bella. But please try to eat this, you are looking paler than usual." She handed me a cut up apple.

"I'll try." I sat at the island in the kitchen and watched her as I took a small bite. She eyes me warily, but continued about the kitchen. She was making a huge feast for the pack as a way to thank them. They were having steak and potatoes.

Watching her cook, being a normal mom and wife, I was reminded of something I've been meaning to ask her for a while now.

"Uhm, Esme?"

"Yes, Bella dear."

"Edward told me that when you were human, you were pregnant at a point. I know you lost the baby, so if this bothers you at all, please stop my intrusion." I bit my bottom lip.

"Oh darling, that was only something that lead me to a bigger opportunity. In no way, shape or form will this bother me at all. Please, ask away."

She gave me a small smile for encouragement.

"Were you ever… scared when you found out you were pregnant? Or during your pregnancy?"

"I believe that all women are scared during some point in their pregnancy. I had a friend named Carrie who always wanted to be a mom and was looking forward to it when she finally got married to a good friend of ours, Curtis. Never did I think she would be scared to death when she found out she was pregnant." She smiled a little. "She was scared Curtis would leave her, or that he wouldn't be happy about her being pregnant earlier than they had planned. And she had nothing to worry about. Elizabeth was a beautiful baby."

As much as I loved the story, it was not the answer I was looking for. My face must have shown my discomfort, because Esme quickly called me out on my thoughts.

"Is that what you meant, Bella?"

"Not really." I took a deep breath. "I know that there is no problem with Edward, because he accept the baby, but I meant being a mom. Did you think you would ever screw up, or be a bad mother?" My voice closed up a little bit and it made my words catch in my throat.

"Oh dear…" Esme embraces me and I allow her to. As she hugs me gently, I let a few tears fall. Maybe I'm just being hormonal, but this was something that has been bothering me for a long time. I wasn't sure if I was up to being a mother.

"Bella, you need to trust in your own instincts. You need to trust in yourself, that you will be a great mother and that your child will love you. It's only a matter of time before you begin to feel that immense pull towards the little creation you have inside you." She kissed the top of my head. "You'll do fine, I know it."

I smiled and hugged her with all my might.

Not a good idea.

I automatically felt sick to my stomach. I pulled away from Esme suddenly, running as fast as I could around her to the sink. I chucked up my almost empty stomach and slumped to the floor. Esme was there, pulling back my hair and rubbing my back with assurance. I wasn't sure how long I would be able to last until the baby was ready to be delivered.

"Bella?" Oh no. It was Edward.

Esme moved to the side and Edward took her place. He wiped the tears from my eyes and carried me to the couch. He laid me down and let me put my head on his lap. He flitted his hands over my hot and sweaty face.

"Bella, I'm not sure about-"

"Please. Let's not have this conversation now." He sighs, but doesn't press the subject.

Lately, Edward has been opposed to the idea of me actually having this baby. Rosalie told me that he has been looking into research to get rid of it and when I asked him about it, he didn't exactly deny it. I know he doesn't want to see me hurt, but I don't want to not let this baby live. He is too important to me, they both are.

When Carlisle came home, he put me on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. I know t will just suck for the rest of these three weeks. I've been avoiding Edward's eyes the entire afternoon and I was just looking forward to some distractions when the pack got here. I was due for a checkup with Carlisle in a couple of days and I was too nervous to think of anything else.

Edward was coming back from getting me some water when the mob of people came in.

The pack was loud and rambunctious as usual, but the faces I saw put a huge smile on my face. They all said hello to all the Cullens before laying their eyes on me. Quil was at the front of the line, with his little bush of curly car on the top of his head. He gave me a huge smile after gawking at my huge stomach. Seth came in as well, with Embry and two new kids I didn't know. They were the only quiet ones, which didn't matter because the others made up a good amount of noise.

At first, I was nervous at them seeing me how I was. I wasn't at all dressed for any guests, with sweats and an oversized t-shirt to fit my enormous belly. Would they be angry? Would they be disgusted? Would they not want to help? All of those questions quickly disappeared from my mind, thanks to Quil, Embry and Seth.

"BELLA!" They all shouted at the same time and began to hurl themselves at me with their open arms. I laughed and shook my head when I felt a pain in my lower stomach. I clutched it and looked up in time to see Edward gently stopping their advances.

"I don't think Sam or Jacob told you the whole story yet." He chuckled a little giving them all a small hug and shaking the hands of the other two we didn't recognize.

Jacob cleared his throat awkwardly as Lizzy's bus. "Uh, I'll be right back." He ducked out the door and out of sight. I wonder what that was about.

"Well Bella," began Embry, "we've missed you down in Washington." He smiled.

"I've missed you guys too." I saw the three of them cringe at my voice, and I looked down, embarrassed.

"These are fresh meat," said Quil. I tried so hard to hold back my laugh so I wouldn't feel pain, but I couldn't help it. I had to giggle a little at that.

The "fresh meat", as Quil called them, were looking around anxiously, their eyes darting to all the corners of the room. One of them was tan skinned, just like all the other Quiletes, with short hair and lots of muscle. The other was a little lighter skinned, taller than the first, and no hair at all. The second looked a little too old to be hanging out with this crowd, but I don't judge. The first was younger looking, probably 14 or 15.

"Guys, this is Tyler," the younger one, "and Vince," the older one. Tyler gave us all a shy wave and Vince gave us a serious nod. I can see how these two will work already.

The attention was quickly taken away from the two after the door opened and in walked Lizzy and Jake. Everyone's eyes flitted to them, including the pack, Lizzy automatically took refuge behind Jake's leg. I smiled softly, but then I noticed Jake's huge forehead breaking out in sweat. What is his problem? Emmett interrupted me before I could ask.

"This is my daughter Elizabeth," he patted her head. "Lizzy, these are Jake's friends from where we used to live."

"Hi," she said softly and buried her head back in Jakes leg. He looked down at her with a loving expression.

"No way!" Quil started jumping up and down like a lunatic, with a huge smile on his face like he just found out we're hiding candy in the kitchen. He pointed at Jake and opened his mouth to say something else.

Jake looked up and all the color drained from his face. He looked as if he saw a ghost, but it didn't stop him from giving Quil the death glare. Soon all the others had smiles on their faces as well.

"Yes! I imprinted. Get over it." He huffed, picked up Lizzy and sat next to me on the couch to watch TV. All the other guys snickered silently and sat around the floor with us.

Embry quickly grabbed the remote from my hand and changed the channel to some random baseball game. I gave him a glare that he didn't see, but let it slide. I wasn't really watching the boring sitcom anyway. They all started hooting and hollering at the game in no time.

_This is going to be an interesting few months._

During a commercial, they all seemed to come back to business. "So will someone please tell us why in the Lord's great name we are here?" Quil turned his whole body to face me and the others quickly followed his lead.

I looked to Edward across the room. He gave me a little smirk and a reassuring nod. I took a deep breath and dropped my feet to the floor. I didn't look up from the floor as Jacob helped me to stand up.

I let the blanket fall from my body and I finally looked up at the pack.


	11. Stronger

_**Enjoy ya'll.**_

* * *

Stronger

I looked nervously at them, waiting for a reaction. They were all in shock, staring at my small frame with a huge bulge in my stomach. But leave it to those boys to make me laugh in a moment like this.

"Damn, Bella!" Quil hollered and a sly smile came on his face. "What did you do, swallow a watermelon whole?"

All the pack boys starting howling in laughter. At first, I was hurt. I didn't know I looked that big. I even looked down at myself to make sure I wasn't at all as big as they made me out to be. However, their laughter is so infectious, that I began to laugh as well. I knew Quil meant nothing by his remark, just a way to lessen the tension in the room.

"Very funny, Quil." I laughed once more, but it was stopped quickly by pain shooting across my lower belly. I clutched at it, my face twisting in pain and doubling over slightly.

Jacob and Edward were at my sides in a second. They helped me sit back down and I laid back, waiting for the pain to ease. It finally did as Edward filled them in on what was really going on.

"Bella is pregnant."

"I knew it!" yelled Embry. "Why else does anyone get married at 18, you were pregnant way before you got married weren't you? Man, Bella, how could you not tell us? We wouldn't judge you. I mean, you're almost nine months pregnant and-"

"No, Embry." Jacob cut him off. "She's only two weeks pregnant."

"And she'll only be pregnant for another three weeks," said Alice, making her appearance in the room. We all gave her questioning glances. "Even with the wolves not around, I begin to see us blurry when we are around someone. It has to be the baby."

Edward nodded, probably seeing it in his own mind.

"So why are we here?" asked Vince. The rest of the pack looked at Jacob expectantly.

"There is another coven threatening the safety of the Cullens. We have to make sure they get nowhere near Bella, the baby, or Lizzy. They are the first priority. We will talk about confronting the other coven after Bella has given birth, but until then, we wait."

Edward stepped in and added, "This means we would ask you to run patrols around our properties and accompany us to places like the grocery store, etc. We will all be staying here, but Jacob and I have transformed our house to accommodate you all. You will have a place to sleep and food to eat without disturbances from us."

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we will give our entire efforts to help you all. You are a part of Jacob's family now, which means our family as well." Seth got up after speaking and gave me a small hug. He placed his hand softly on my stomach and said, "Don't worry, Bella. We won't let anything happen to you or your little one."

I smiled up at him in thanks, as the pack all murmured similar words. Just then, a hard kick went flying at Seth's hand from inside of me. Seth recoiled, out of shock, and stared back at Edward. I groaned in pain and Edward lifted my shirt over my enormous Belly.

"Nothing cracked, but the bruise is already beginning to form." He looked sadly into my eyes and I quickly looked away.

Tyler, the youngest of the pack boys, finally spoke. "I have a question." Everyone looked at him expectantly. "Isn't she supposed to have the pregnant glow? You look sicker than I've ever seen anyone before." He gave me a pitied look.

"There are some complications," said Carlisle from the bottom of the stairs. "I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen, the leader of this coven. Before anything I wanted to thank all of you for coming and helping us in this dire time of need."

"No problem, doc." Quil stood up to shake his hand. "But what are these complications?"

Esme flitted into the room then. "How about we talk over dinner? Is anyone hungry?" The entire back, even Vince, erupted in hoots and raced their way to the kitchen. Jacob followed after them, holding Lizzy in the air like superman. They occupied the table and started serving themselves heaps of steak and potatoes. Lizzy was given a smaller, cut up portion of food, and a slightly larger plate sat awaiting me. I really hoped I would keep it down. It smelled amazing.

"You eat, we'll talk," said Edward as he sat next to me and started cutting up my steak.

Carlisle began speaking then. "Since Bella is a human and Edward is a vampire, the baby has some vampire traits. For example, it has remarkable strength for a fetus, and its strength is causing Bella's body to deteriorate. Her human body is not strong enough to hold the baby for too long."

"So why not change her into a vampire?" asked Embry around a mouth full of food.

"If we change her now, the baby will not be able to be delivered and it will die. She needs to deliver the baby first, and then we will change her. She will not be able to survive the delivery without the change. We are also trying to think of a way to nourish Bella so she will be strong enough to deliver without losing her."

I took a few bites of food that Edward offered me and seemed satisfied with my calm stomach.

"She looks like she's eating well," commented Quil.

"Yeah," began Edward, "but sometimes-"

He was cut off by me hurling myself out of my chair and to the bathroom. I chucked up everything I had put in my body and cried from the burn of the acid in my throat. Alice came next to me, handing me a glass of water and my tooth brush. I faintly heard Edward finish off his sentence.

"Sometimes, that happens."

All the boys were staring at me wide eyed as I came back into the room. Edward placed his hand around my shoulders as I pushed the plate of food away from me. It was quickly picked up and moved by Esme. I rested my head on the table, Edward playing with my hair.

"Bella, are you okay?" asked Seth gently.

I nodded my head.

Edward jumped up. "That's a great idea, Vince!" He quickly disappeared at vampire speed up the steps. Vince looked completely confused.

"Forgive me for not explaining," said Carlisle. "Some vampires gain special gifts during their change. Alice, whom you met earlier, can see the future, and Edward can read minds. You probably thought something that triggered this reaction from him."

Vince spoke up, "All I thought was that if the baby is half human and half vampire, and it won't eat human food, then maybe it would want vampire food." He scrunched his nose as he said it.

"Brilliant!" said Carlisle. "I can't believe we didn't think about that before."

"If that's the case," I said in a hoarse voice, "then why is Edward upstairs and not outside getting me something to drink?"

"We have a couple pints of blood stashed upstairs for your delivery. It will be more effective if you drink human blood."

Alice turned to Jasper at the far corner of the room. "Come take a walk with me." She pulled him out the back door just as Edward reentered the room with a bag of blood.

He dug through the cabinets searching for something to put it in. He finally found a small cup with a lid and a hole for a straw. Filling the cup quickly, Esme handed him a straw, grabbed Rose and Emmett and exited the house as well. I figured this would make them uncomfortable, they hadn't hunted in weeks. They wouldn't even go to hunt now, just getting some air.

"Bella, I'm sorry, but you have to drink this. It might help the baby." Edward pushed the cup into my hands and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you sure this will help us both get stronger?" I looked to my husband, and then to Carlisle.

"It is a good possibility." Carlisle patted my hand and urged me to drink.

I took a deep, calming breath. I looked at the straw and contemplated it. Would it taste horrible? Would I like the taste? Would it not help at all? That thought chilled me. This had to work, nothing else would! I couldn't think like that. _This will work, this will work._ I chanted the mantra in my head as I pressed my lips on the straw and took a long pull, squeezing my eyes shut.

I swallowed slowly.

Everyone waited in silence, the pack boys no longer eating and Edward staring intently at my face.

When I opened my eyes and swallowed down the thick, gooey liquid, I looked straight at Edward with a surprised face. He immediately took the cup away from me and began speaking.

"It's okay, it probably tastes horrible for you. We'll find another way and maybe-"

"Edward," I said quietly. "It's fine. It actually tastes…Good."

All the pack boys pushed their plates away, their appetites ruined for the moment. Edward's face broke out into a small smile, and his hands went up to touch my face. My fever and chills seemed to be absent at the moment, and I could feel a settle in my stomach for the first time in weeks. I laughed weakly when the pack boys stared at me with mouths and eyes wide open. Seth even had some food in his mouth, which was not a pretty sight.

"Here." Edward handed me the cup again. "Drink some more."

I continued to drink the blood in the cup, feeling my stomach settle more and more with every swallow I took.

Carlisle's face broke into a smile, mirroring Edward's. "The color in her face is already starting to return." He pressed his cool fingers against my neck, saying, "Her pulse is stronger." He smiled bigger, if that was even possible. "Remarkable."

"How do you feel, Bella?" Edward searched my eyes.

"I feel stronger, more than I have in a long time."


End file.
